Works to start on Athllon Drive upgrades

Duplication work on Athllon Drive will start in the coming months, the ACT Government has announced.

The 2024-25 ACT Budget will invest $8.6 million 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 extends south from Woden, through Mawson and Wanniassa to Tuggeranong. Two rapid bus routes, cyclists, and nearly 2,000 vehicles 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: an intersection at Shea Street in Phillip will be widened to support access to the future Woden Bus Depot

“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,” a government spokesperson said.  

This will include an investment to plan new and upgraded roads in 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 Tuggeranong Parkway.

Design will also commence on 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 the Beltana Road Upgrade in Pialligo and the Gundaroo Drive Duplication in Belconnen in the coming financial year.

Road maintenance

• $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.
• $2 million on bridge upgrades and improvements to traffic signals.
• A $1.85 million renewal of Canberra’s green road signs, the Diddams Close boat ramp in Belconnen, and the Parkes Way tunnel through Acton.

The Australian Government will invest more than $73 million through the Roads to Recovery program in road pavement maintenance and rehabilitation.

Active travel infrastructure

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 construct small-scale aged-friendly improvements across Canberra, such as new ramps, kerbs and missing sections of paths, which impede those with limited mobility.

More than $1.4 million will be invested 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 the path network at night and to improve safety, prioritising areas identified by women and vulnerable users.

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 present 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.