Duplication work on Athllon Drive is set to start in the coming months.
The 2024-25 ACT Budget will invest $8.6million as part of a 50:50 funding agreement with the Australian Government to commence works on the duplication of Athllon Drive in Tuggeranong this year.
Athllon Drive is a popular road extending south from Woden, through Mawson and Wanniassa to Tuggeranong. Two rapid bus routes, cyclists and nearly 2,000 vehicles currently use this road every hour during peak periods.
The project will see the duplication of 2.4 kilometres of Athllon Drive between Sulwood Drive and Drakeford Drive in Tuggeranong. The first works to commence in the coming months will include relocating overhead electricity cables, water and sewer works, new walking and cycling path connections, path widening and new lighting.
The first works on the northern section of the duplication will also commence in the coming year, with the construction of a widened intersection at Shea Street in Phillip to support access to the future Woden Bus Depot
The ACT Budget will invest in projects right across the ACT.
The ACT has one of the best road networks in the world, and investments in this Budget will maintain and upgrade the network over the coming years.
This will include an investment to start planning on new and upgraded roads in our growing suburbs, through a 50:50 partnership with the Australian Government following commitments in the recent Federal Budget. This includes the future Molonglo Parkway-Drive Connector providing access between the future Molonglo Town Centre and the the Tuggeranong Parkway.
Design will also commence on future road improvements in Gungahlin, including possible road widening and intersection upgrades, following the finalisation of the Gungahlin Transport Plan later this year.
The Budget commits additional funding to complete of the Beltana Road Upgrade in Pialligo and Gundaroo Drive Duplication in Belconnen in the coming financial year.
In addition to these new road projects, this Budget also continues to invest in road maintenance. This includes:
- $1.16 million to expand City Services' in-house line-marking crew by creating four additional full-time positions, to renew faded road and path line-marking across our growing city.
- $2 million on critical bridge upgrades and improvements to traffic signals,
- A renewal of Canberra's green road signs, the Diddams Close boat ramp in Belconnen and the Parkes Way tunnel through Acton with a total of $1.85m in funding.
Road pavement maintenance and rehabilitation will also remain a focus, thanks to an over $73 million investment in the ACT from the Australian Government through the Roads to Recovery program.
New investment in active travel infrastructure will also continue in the 2024-25 Budget.
The ACT Government will invest $5.81 million over four years to establish a new path replacement crew in City Services. This includes an additional 10 full-time positions and new equipment which will replace sections of concrete path that are end-of-life and presenting trip hazards.
This insourced crew will enable City Services to respond to cracked, broken and lifted paths much more rapidly by removing the need to package broken footpaths into larger work orders that can take several months to be addressed. The crew will also have the ability to construct small-scale aged-friendly improvements across Canberra, such as building new ramps, kerbs and missing sections of paths, which currently create impediments to those with limited mobility.
Over $1.4 million will be invested in 2024-25 to construct missing path links and connections across the city, responding to community feedback on where there are gaps in the path network. $500,000 will also be invested in new lighting to make it easier to use our path network at night and improve safety, prioritising areas that women and vulnerable users have identified as requiring improvement.
In Belconnen, an additional $3 million will be invested in major works to renew the Emu Bank foreshore as part of the next stage of the Lake Ginninderra Path Upgrade. These works will include completely reconstructing the ageing lake retaining wall, replacing the pavers which are presenting ongoing trip hazards, and widening the path along the foreshore to create a safer and more pleasant environment, and unlock the destination potential of this area.
To continue a pipeline of active travel projects for future construction, new funding will also be provided to undertake planning and design on segments of the future walking and cycling network identified in the Active Travel Plan, released earlier this year.
Quotes attributable to ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr:
"As Canberra's population nears half a million people, we are getting on with the job of building our city's future.
"The investment in road and active travel projects in the 2024-25 Budget continues a program of investment in the services and infrastructure our city needs.
"We have a significant pipeline of active travel projects already underway, and these investments will continue to expand this network as well as enhance what is already available."
Quotes attributable to Minister for City Services, Tara Cheyne:
"This Budget is investing in new road and active travel infrastructure, and provides funding to support the maintenance of the infrastructure we already have. Through hiring 14 full-time staff for the new line-marking and path replacement crews, City Services will be able to more rapidly action concerns about faded lines and cracked footpaths, and be more responsive to the community's requests.
"I am pleased to announce that the ACT Government is providing over $8.6 million in funding to fast-track works to duplicate Athllon Drive in Tuggeranong. The duplication of Athllon Drive will improve safety for motorists, walkers and cyclists alike, and result in a smoother, safer and faster journey from Tuggeranong to Woden.
"I am excited by the active travel investments the ACT Government is making through this Budget, particularly in Belconnen through the new path in Palmerville Heritage Park and the significant upgrade of the Emu Bank Foreshore. The works at Emu Bank will complement the path widening now underway on the eastern side of Lake Ginninderra, and drive renewal in the Belconnen Town Centre."
Quotes attributable to Minister for Transport, Chris Steel
"The ACT Government is building the infrastructure our city needs with additional investment in the Budget to progress design of the Molonglo Parkway-Drive Connector which will support the growing transport needs of the Molonglo Valley.
"This new arterial road will run east-west between John Gorton Drive and the Tuggeranong Parkway providing a third major road connection into this fast growing district.
"Importantly the road will provide access to the Molonglo Town Centre and provide another bridge over the Molonglo River and access to the Tuggeranong Parkway just south of the National Arboretum."
