Stop Nihilism, and other works of the Gungahlin Drive Extension

Here you go

Staged duplication of GDE to start immediately
Released 23/07/2008

Chief Minister Jon Stanhope and the Minister for Municipal Services John Hargreaves today announced the staged duplication of the Gungahlin Drive Extension will commence immediately with a view to completion within four years.

The first round of work will commence on the southern end of the GDE and will involve a second lane from Aranda at a cost of $4 million.

“The GDE is the largest roadwork project undertaken by the ACT Government and connects the people of Gungahlin with the rest of Canberra,” Mr Stanhope said.

“We have listened to the people of Canberra and are acknowledging that duplication of the road is necessary. The road is very busy during peak traffic periods and has been designed to be duplicated. Over 20,000 people are already using the road daily.

“Thanks to good project management, the road came in earlier than scheduled and within budget. This has meant we have been able to increase the capacity of the road from the budget already allocated to the GDE.

“Work will commence on the southern end of the GDE immediately with a tender to be called next month with work to begin on the northern end of the road to be completed within the term of the next government.

“$83 million has been set aside in the 2008-09 budget with any extra costs to be funded through future budgets if required.”

Mr Hargreaves said this is another example of the Stanhope Government’s commitment to transport and the people of Canberra.

“Transport affects quality of life and the Stanhope Government is committed to providing Canberrans with high quality roads which remain the envy of other Australian cities,” Mr Hargreaves said.

“This duplication will ensure Canberrans continue to enjoy a state-of-the-art roads network.”

[ED: media release can be found on the Chief Minister’s website]

puggy said :

Can anyone remember when the GDE duplication started? I seem to remember about two years ago, but it seems completely illogical for it to take that long.

Hargreaves announced it about 4 months before the October 2008 election and it was underway before the election.

an off ramp into a new Canberra stadium (with roof) would be fantastic for Canberra sports fans ….esp those cold night Brumbies and Raiders games. Rather than spending money propping up sports why not just build the facility.

According to a friend who works for ACT Treasury they didn’t have the money to make it dual lane in 2004.

The Frots said :

You are absolutely right – sub-contracting is becoming an ‘art form’ here.

I have often wondered if the government has ever considered a clause in their contracts preventing sub-contracting out this kinda thing. At the same time they could put in clauses where there is bonuses for completing the job early / penalties of being late. Sure, the initial tenders might be for much higher prices, but when you consider what they have spent on some of these road by the time they are finished five or ten years later, I think it would be cheaper in the long run.

I drive past these roadworks every day.
Sometimes I’m seen scratching my head wondering what the heck is going on.
They seem to smooth out and level a length of the road and then scrape it up again a month later only to smooth if off once again.
Its almost like they are making work for themselves to keep their staff employed. Now that would never happen would it? Surely not. Doesnt the Govt have regulators to monitor the works to ensure that they are done in a timely and efficient manner?

arescarti42 said :

Wikipedia says that duplication started in 2009… and be completed by 2004…

Wait. What?

Excellent shots! 😀

puggy said :

Can anyone remember when the GDE duplication started?

Wikipedia says that duplication started in 2009.

If i recall correctly, the govt expected the 4 lane dual carriageway to cost 53 million in total and be completed by 2004. The cost is now estimated at $200 million+ and completion is supposed to be mid 2012. $200 million for 9km of road has got to be one of the most expensive roads in the world. That is 22 million per km.

Wikipedia says freeways in the US get built for $2.8 million per km of 4 lane road.

beejay76 said :

puggy said :

Can anyone remember when the GDE duplication started? I seem to remember about two years ago, but it seems completely illogical for it to take that long. And is there a reason that they don’t completely finish a single stretch (say, between bridges) and then move on?

In any case, I look forward to driving on the Majura Parkway when it opens in 2021 (probably).

Yano, I’ve been thinking about this lately, too. I moved here about three years ago, and I’m reasonably confident that there has been almost no time that Gungahlin Drive has been road-work free. There’s the Glenloch interchange, the duplication, the resurfacing debacle. It’s starting to give me the right royals.

+1.