Two of the ACT region’s main arterial roads will be upgraded further with the allocation of $200 million in funding in the Federal Budget.
Liberal Senator for the ACT, Zed Seselja, said $100 million each would go towards works on the Monaro and Barton Highways.
He said the Monaro Highway Upgrade Package was important infrastructure funding to ensure Canberrans, and many residents over the border in NSW, were able to efficiently commute to and from the south of the ACT.
“Projects such as the Lanyon Drive-Monaro Highway Flyover and the Monaro Highway Widening in both directions through select sections are now on the table,” Senator Seselja said.
The increasingly busy Barton Highway, which has been the subject of a campaign for duplication, will receive $100 million to continue the upgrades under the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative.
“This commitment will improve connectivity between regional NSW and the ACT,” Senator Seselja said.
“Projects to reduce congestion and improve the safety of these roads are amongst the options being considered, with the Barton Highway duplication business case due later this year, and the 2016 election commitment of a study investigating the widening of the Monaro Highway under way,” he said.
*This article first appeared on RiotACT