It’s a long haul out of the Molonglo Valley in the morning. The study will review all the road links. Photo: File.
A new study will gauge the impact the development of the Molonglo Valley will have on traffic flowing into the Tuggeranong Parkway and Parkes Way, and what the surrounding roads network will need to absorb it.
The Molonglo development will be part of a wider study of Parkes Way and the South-West Corridor from Kings Avenue to Tharwa Drive, and follows an infrastructure study already underway.
Already under pressure from increasing traffic volumes, the Tuggeranong Parkway and Parkes Way, without further upgrades, are expected to suffer even more peak hour gridlock, especially when accidents occur, due to ongoing land releases and population growth in the west of Canberra, combined with the densification of town centres.
Molonglo residents are already suffering from having only one escape route along John Gorton Drive to Cotter Road or the Parkway, with choke points generating peak hour traffic jams.
The ACT Government has flagged an additional northbound lane between Cotter Road and the Glenloch Interchange and a new connection from the Molonglo Valley to the Parkway to ease the pressure, known as the Molonglo East/West arterial.
The Parkway takes over 4,000 vehicles per hour in peak times and over 40,000 every day.
Tender documents say the successful consultant will develop a corridor plan, including upgrade options for Parkes Way and the South West Corridor, and review transport links to support the continued development of the Molonglo Valley.
This will involve traffic modelling for each decade to 2051 along the corridor and the key roads into and out of Molonglo and identifying necessary roadworks that will reduce congestion, make the road network safer and improve freight efficiency.
The increasingly under pressure Tuggeranong Parkway and the Cotter Road overpass. Photo: File.
The study will also estimate the cost of roadworks and project staging to determine optimal timing and scope of works to reduce potential impacts on the community.
The Molonglo Valley is expected to eventually accommodate about 55,000 people, with Wright and Coombs largely complete, and the rest of Denman Prospect, Molonglo, and three to four other suburbs, including parts of Whitlam, to be released.
The traffic assessment aims to identify the impact on the arterial road network within and around the Molonglo Valley, find likely solutions to these issues, and confirm whether the proposed internal road network in the Molonglo developments is adequate.
The overall project will have to consider the construction of light rail Stage 2, the development of West Basin, future land releases in the city, a possible city stadium on the Civic pool site on Parkes Way, and the proposed UNSW Canberra campus in Reid.
It will also need to consider the potential future development of the Western edge area beyond Weston Creek, Molonglo and Belconnen.
The government is expecting a Corridor Strategy report to be delivered by August 2022.
The tender closes on 27 August.
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