13 July 2020

Government eyes double lanes to Tuggeranong's southern fringe

| Ian Bushnell
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Tharwa Drive

The 1.6 km stretch of Tharwa Drive is suffering from traffic congestion and delays. Image: ACT Government.

Moves to duplicate a 1.6 km section of Tharwa Drive in Canberra’s far south will buoy residents regularly stuck in peak hour traffic and ease concerns about emergency vehicle access and evacuation needs during a bushfire crisis.

Transport Canberra and City Services is seeking a consultant to conduct a feasibility study and provide design options for duplicating the single lane road between the Woodcock Drive/Box Hill Avenue roundabout and Pockett Avenue in Banks, the final suburb on the urban fringe before Lanyon Homestead, the village of Tharwa, and beyond that Namadgi National Park.

The tender documents say this stretch of road is experiencing significant congestion and causing delays for commuters at peak times, which will only get worse with further urban development in the area.

TCCS says morning traffic moves slowly until it reaches the duplicated lanes past the Woodcock Drive/Box Hill Avenue roundabout at Lanyon Marketplace.

Last summer’s devastating fire in Namadgi National Park highlighted the threat to Tuggeranong’s southern suburbs such as Banks and Gordon, and the risk to firefighting operations posed by sightseers clogging local roads, as well as traffic management issues if residents needed to be evacuated.

TCCS wants to see three design options, including a preferred design for the ”most cost-effective, sustainable and appropriate solution to ease congestion, improve safety and to facilitate an improved road network in the Tuggeranong area to meet current and future needs”.

This will include cost estimates and a cost/benefit analysis for each option.

The consultant will need to model traffic flows but take into account the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the number of people using the road.

Any noise impacts, particularly on residential areas, will need to be identified so mitigation measures can be taken, including buffers.

The consultant will need to confirm areas such as heritage-protected sites, areas of ecological significance or protected flora and fauna, or any areas of environmental concern within the project area that require remediation.

It is expected that local businesses, residents and community groups will contribute to the feasibility and design process through meetings and workshops.

The consultant’s findings will go to supporting a business case for the duplication.

The tender closes on 30 July and the government will award the contract by 21 August.

TCCS says the Tharwa Drive duplication would complement other improvements already made to the road network in the south including the duplication of Ashley Drive, the safety improvements underway on the Monaro Highway and the future duplication of Athllon Drive.

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James-T-Kirk12:36 am 17 Jul 20

So, as others have mentioned, there are pedestrian lights and reduced speed limits – How will extra lanes make any difference at all.

Has anybody looked at the photo for this article. What extra development – Lanyon hit private property years ago – it is literally at the edge of banks down there. It certainly isn’t at Tharwa.

So unless they are adding a couple of extra stories to the retirement village (Which is at the end of the existing duplicated roadway anyway) whats going to change???

Sidney Reilly7:55 pm 14 Jul 20

Of course this is on the agenda a few months out from the election. I would rather they legislate to control fuel prices in the ACT. AND THAT COULD BE Done without the need for endless inquiries.

Built in the dying days of the NCDC pre ACT self government.

In fact contrary to what many think even in the heyday of the NCDC Suburban main roads were built as they are now as single lane each way and duplicated later.

Typical ACT government. Build it on the cheap, then spend ten times as much to rectify it as it would have cost to do it properly in the first place.

James-T-Kirk12:38 am 17 Jul 20

Yep. Thank that Telecom built the exchanges out here in the late 70’s. Otherwise we will still be waiting for the electric telephone….

Who can spell E L E C T I O N…..

This is just a vote spinner for the election. Not needed and none of the other promised road duplications promised at the last few elections have ever eventuated.

The only one is Ashley drive which was promised in around 2010, yet took years of resealing and wasn’t quickly completed.

It might be a good idea to consider a Greenway bypass extension of the Tuggeranong Parkway.

As a Banks resident, I’m not convinced this is necessary or a good value for money proposal. The speed limit slows to 60 around the shops and there is a set of pedestrian lights as well. It’s hard to see that changing, so the traffic flow is already disrupted. Also, what is the ‘further urban development’ mentioned?

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