Works are well and truly underway for the upgrades occurring at the roundabout at Barton Highway, Gundaroo Drive and William Slim Drive. It is expected these roadworks will be finished late 2016.
The roundabout is being upgraded to incorporate additional lanes on all four of its approaches and through the intersection and will introduce traffic lights at this intersection. The traffic signals will be coordinated to control traffic flows through the intersection and to balance flows of approaching traffic according to the time of day. Traffic travelling in the peak directions will be provided with more priority than under the current arrangements. This will allow for more vehicles to be moved through the intersection during these periods.
There will also be improvements for cyclists passing through the intersection on three approaches to the intersection; cyclists approaching the intersection on Barton Highway from the west will utilise a new shared path bridge, parallel to the existing bridge.
A bus priority lane will be added in the east/west direction linking Gungahlin and Belconnen.
The ACT Government have advised they did consider flyovers at this intersection. Their preferred option of the Barton Highway crossing over William Slim and Gundaroo drive would have involved substantial elevated overpass construction at the intersection and Ginninderra Creek. This would have meant the existing creek bridges would have to have been replaced as well as a new bridge over Ginninderra Creek. The alternate option of an overpass from William Slim/Gundaroo Drives passing over the Barton highway would have required an extended overpass construction over the highway and median. It would also have required the construction of extensive left and right turn loops to address the slope changes. The ACT Government ruled out both of these options. www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/778968/Roundabout-fact-sheet.pdf
The Canberra Liberals Jeremy Hanson has said they will fund the construction of a flyover at this intersection going going over the Barton Highway. www.jeremyhanson.net/transport/canberra-liberals-invest-in-critical-roads-and-buses/
I am sure everyone recognises that the overpass option is expensive and due to the location and environmental does present challenges. The feedback I have seen from people is concern the signalisation of this intersection is a short term fix (in relative terms) and in 10 years will be having to re-visit this same intersection. Building an overpass then will be even more expensive than today. I think more information could have been presented to the Gungahlin community on the detail of the two different options including costs and challenges. An option could have been put forward to not doing anything for another couple of years and doing the overpass then and we just have to accept the current situation. The money not spend this year could have been put towards the missing duplication on Horse Park Drive from the Federal highway to Well Station Drive.
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