22 March 2021

Lanyon Drive flyover to cut Monaro travel times

| Ian Bushnell
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Monaro Highway with Lanyon Drive

The intersection of the Monaro Highway with Lanyon Drive is a major chokepoint. Photo: ACT Government.

The $200 million Monaro Highway upgrade is a step closer with the release of concept designs for a southbound flyover at the intersection of the highway with Lanyon Drive.

The $45 million Lanyon Drive component also includes the removal of traffic lights at the Alexander Maconochie Centre intersection and the highway’s southbound intersection with Lanyon Drive.

The signalised intersection of Lanyon Drive and Sheppard Street will also be upgraded to improve access into and out of the Hume commercial centre.

The flyover, with on-road bicycle lanes, will improve traffic flow during the morning and afternoon peak periods and reduce travel times.

ACT Roads Minister Chris Steel joined with ACT Liberal Senator Zed Seselja to announce the release of the concept designs, with construction due to commence next year and take two-and-a-half years.

Mr Steel said the Monaro Highway was expected to carry 35,000 vehicles a day by 2031, as well as serving the residents of Tuggeranong. It was a key tourism route to the snowfields and a major freight route for the region.

The ACT Government would also be looking at improving other intersections on the Monaro, particularly at Isabella Drive but also Mugga Lane, and Tralee and Shephard streets.

Lanyon Drive flyover project

The concept designs for the Lanyon Drive flyover project. Image: ACT Government.

Safety improvements, due to be completed this year, were also well underway further south on the Monaro, with the addition of an overtaking lane and turning lanes near Royalla, which will improve safety for those on the way to the snowfields.

Mr Steel said a proposal for the highway to run through the Mugga Lane Solar Farm was never going to be adopted.

“We never intended to build the road through the Solar Farm. What we have done is benchmarked the current, preferred road alignment against other options as part of the necessary due diligence for an infrastructure project of this size,” he said.

Senator Seselja said the concept designs were a really important step in what has been a long journey that goes back to 2016.

”This flyover will make a big difference when it is delivered,” he said.

”Those who travel along this road know that Lanyon Drive is a major chokepoint and it’s only going to become a more significant chokepoint as we see the growth in places like South Jerrabomberra and Googong.”

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It means the people of Tuggeranong and Queanbeyan and surrounds will spend less time in traffic and have a safer commute.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said both governments had brought forward funding to accelerate the project and get the Monaro upgrade underway in 2020-21.

The Federal and ACT governments have committed $100 million each to the upgrade, which will take fours years to complete.

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Still no merge lanes after left turn ramps!!

Capital Retro8:45 am 24 May 20

“Ha 5 kms…last June it was at a standstill from Bunyan”

It’s sometimes quicker to turn left at Williamsdale and take on Angle Crossing then through Tharwa to get to Canberra’s western and northern suburbs.

Hmmm…i’m wondering where all the calls for a full cost-benefit study into this infrastructure spend are? Anybody? Nah I guess if it’s for cars then no need to justify (that’s for light rail).

What makes you think they don’t have a cost benefit study on this project? Have you asked for it?

This is a major freight route and the changes will promote efficiency and safety along it. Which is why the feds have assessed it and jointly funded it. Unlike light rail which has a woeful cost benefit ratio as you well know and is why it didn’t receive any federal funding.

In comparison, the Majura Parkway upgrade on this same freight route had a cost benefit ratio of over 2.5.

You misread the comment which was “where all the calls for a full cost-benefit study are?” Simply making the point that there seems to be one rule for road and another for rail (particularly in Australia as the country still pursues it’s American Dream). If you think the fact that “the feds” throwing cash at the project endows it with some sort of credibility I suggest you google “sports rorts”.

What are you talking about?

There are heaps of people here and elsewhere who are questioning the decisions and options chosen here, have you actually read the comments?

The reason there are no wide scale calls for a release of a cost benefit study is because the project is being sold on a number of fronts (like safety, not just transport) and funding is coming from multiple sources.

No one locally would question the federal government’s injection of $100million to this project because it is seen as “free money”.

On the local side, the total cost is $100 million to fix major safety issues and improve travel times for a major chunk of the population that are impacted by a large and clear problem.

Even then, there are heaps of people complaining about the options chosen and that it goes too far/ not far enough.

For around 10% of the cost of the first stage of light rail.

A light rail project where the government’s own studies showed that the transport benefit could be realised at a fraction of the cost through choosing other options.

Apples meet Oranges. Nice try to compare completely separate issues though.

If you want a comparable local project, I already gave you one. The upgrade of parts of this same freight route into the Majura Parkway. That had a cost benefit ratio well in excess of light rail stage 1.

Also, good point on sports rorts, its why we need good funding frameworks like already exist in Infrastructure Australia to prevent the federal government pork barreling in this area

Like the ALP wanted to in offering to fund $200 million of light rail stage 2 despite no chance of the project beong economically viable.

On-road cycle lanes on these fast and furious roads is last century thinking. Good for a valiant few but too scary for both cyclists and motorists. Get bikes off the fast roads and onto separated infrastructure for everybody’s benefit.

The Monaro Hwy from Old Cooma Rd at Royalla to where it joins the Maj Pwy needs to be turned into a motorway. Proper interchanges, well signed, electronic boards, etc. Somthing you would see in Sydney or Melbourne. ACT government, go and get the money from the feds, do it once and do it right.

Should also have a dedicated cycle way like the M7 in Sydney.

Typical Labor/Greens Government only doing half the job needed. Just like Ashley Dr they were not going to duplicate the whole thing until the Libs said they would. Hopefully with an election coming up we might see some sensibility….. not holding my breath though.

russianafroman9:25 pm 21 May 20

The intersection between Lanyon Drive and Monaro Highway has glaring faults. The way it unexpectedly forces two lanes into one and then back into two again is absurd. There will be many accidents if that design goes ahead, what with people driving in the right lane and crashing into the barrier. Given the congestion and heavy traffic, you will need a separate slip lane for people heading east onto Lanyon Drive. The whole thing is still a spaghetti mess. And as others have mentioned, people or emergency vehicles have to drive all the way down and around if they want to go north.

Capital Retro8:17 am 21 May 20

What about the intersection of Monaro Highway and Johnston Drive?

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