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.
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.”
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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Craig Coleman does this help you
Still no merge lanes after left turn ramps!!
how is that Barton Highway duplication road works going so far ACT? It has been on the drawing board oh the last thirty years!
Why wasn't it a flyover from the start?
Craig Best define start?
“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.
Right on!
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.
Another half assed, half funded road project. ACT government aren't capable of delivering any decent infrastructure.
Be nice if they could build it once, build it right, but that concept is foreign to them.
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.
Can we include a northbound flyover at Calwell, Chisholm and mugga lane?
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.
Good to see a little investment on the Southside for a change!!!
Problem is the traffic already backs all the way up Lanyon to Tomsitt drive in the morning, can you imagine how bad its going to be once South Jerrabomberra and the rest of Googong open
I wonder how cyclists will be able to safely cross from Lanyon Drive to head North up Monaro Hwy.
Nigel Newick or safely ride down the Monaro- definitely need a separate path (not just a line painted on a highway). I like what they did near ikea and the work being done on old Cooma road to Googong!
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.
Where are the cries about how much our rates will go up to pay for this?
Plus it is only going to benefit one part of Canberra and shock horror a lot of NSW residents too.
Ashley Wright $45m and $700m are two very different numbers...there's a long way to go before this card is played
Khabi Rukman Article says $200m for whole project. But thank you for at least staying the correct construction cost of lightrail.
Anyway I was being flippant I agree this needs to be done, though the point does remain.
Ashley Wright The $45m that the article clearly states is associated with the Lanyon Dr flyover (without knowing along which parts of Monaro Hwy the rest of the $200m will be spent, and therefore who it actually benefits). But sure, even at $200m, it's less than a third of the cost.
$45 not $200 Robert Knight
Alex Colrain the full project is still going to shave only a few minutes off the trip.
Robert Knight I dunno mate - she gets pretty backed up there in peak hour with cars backed up often to Hindmarsh.
Alex Colrain yeah, but how does the cost benefit analysis show the costs of people’s lost minutes - and it really is just minutes - are captured in a quantifiable way. What real productivity is gained?
Robert Knight future proofing mate so we don’t end up like the major capitals in 10-15 years time.
Alex Colrain future proofing isn’t pouring money into a monocultural transport system which is proven not to work in the way intended.
Why are they only building half an interchange? Surely the whole mess would flow a lot better if they built a flyover on the northbound side too and let traffic entering the highway merge from the left?
My thoughts exactly. Lanyon drive should cross both lanes to let southbound traffic flow with no lights, and northbound/Jerra traffic merge. The current Lanyon 2 lanes into one and then merge is a joke, as the merging traffic has all but come to a standstill from Lanyon drive being forced into one lane. Do these 'planners' actually spend any time looking at the intersections they're planning? Other examples are the GDE, where the bulk of the traffic will turn left into Parkes way - that should be the main flow with 2 lanes and a peel off for Tuggeranong. Ashley Drive/ Erindale roundabout - probably 95% of the traffic turns left at this intersection, it's designed with quite a sharp turn, rather than a flowing junction/merging lane.
Greg Tanner clearly they never played SimCity as children 😂
Neil Chandler I did some work for Adelaide roads about 10 years ago, some of the tenderers had some really neat simulation software to show traffic flows, impact of roundabouts and interchanges etc. Could model on a pretty large scale to show flow on effects in other networks. even included public transport corridors!
Greg Tanner i'm actually nerding out over this right now! Would be interesting to run some of Canberra's road projects through the same software.
Greg Tanner so two lanes turn off Caswell Drive (no such road as GDE) to meet two lanes from Belconnen and to meet two lanes from Tuggeranong (yes I know it is only one lane now, but same argument about main flow applies). So 6 lanes of traffic converging into 3 lanes or so you want 6 lanes and then a 7th when Clunies Ross Street joins Parkes Way too?
Whilst yes the single turn creates congestion anything you do there will create congestion. So planners shock horror do plan and in doing so plan where congestion points will be.
And besides I think there the biggest cause of congestion is Belconnen way joining Caswell Drive with people moving to inside lane to let them in and then back to turn onto Parkes way. That merge is the thing to fix.
Graham on road bike lanes 😓👎
The deadly choke point is actually coming from Cooma down the steep hill at the Johnson Drive roundabout, where a few years ago, it was reduced to ONE lane! In winter, the snow traffic can be backed up 5klms trying to get through this stupidly redesigned intersection! This is where a fly over is really needed!
Ha 5 kms...last June it was at a standstill from Bunyan. At one point I got out, walked to the back of the car and made a cuppa. Got back in and moved one car length...all because of this junction. Oh, and people not understanding the end of an overtaking lane.
Yeah, once the years of roadworks are done...