Work on the long-touted $288 million Majura Parkway is expected to start later this year with a development application lodged and tenders due to be called within eight days.
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It is expected to take three years to finish.
The 11.5kilometre dual carriageway between the Monaro Highway and the Federal Highway is slated to carry almost an extra 30,000 vehicles each day by 2031 compared to the current Majura Road.
Roads ACT director Tony Gill said yesterday work on the four-lane road, to be built west of Majura Road, was scheduled to be completed before 2016.
''While the bottom bit around Pialligo Avenue and the airport is more complicated because you have the traffic to and from the airport and you have to cross the Molonglo River, the top end, north of Fairbairn Avenue, is almost like a greenfields development, it's not affecting the traffic,'' he said. ''We'd be surprised if it couldn't be done within the three-year timeframe.''
Tenders for the construction will be called on May 26 and close on August 2, with work expected to start by the end of October.
Public comment on a development application lodged with the ACT Planning and Land Authority closes on June 1.
The project is being funded 50-50 by the ACT and federal governments to create a quick north-south route for local traffic but also a better connection between the highways for regional traffic, especially commercial vehicles.
A major part of the development will be a new bridge across the Molonglo River running almost parallel to the existing Sylvia Curley Bridge, with some Duntroon land taken by the development.
''The single longest activity will be associated with the bridge across the river, it will take about 18 months and it's the key to how long the rest of the project progresses,'' Mr Gill said.
Most of the road will have a 100km/h speed limit.
''It'll be 100km/h from the Federal Highway down to Fairbairn Avenue and then from Fairbairn Avenue and through Fyshwick it'll be 90km/h and then it will go back up to 100km/h,'' he said. ''The reason why it's not 100km/h the whole way is the geometry of the bridge basically.''
Mr Gill said about 16,000 vehicles a day travelled on the existing Majura Road while between 40,000 and 45,000 vehicles a day would travel on the new parkway by 2031.
About 15 per cent of the traffic on the road was commercial and freight vehicles.
Mr Gill said the road would be built in six stages so traffic affected by the construction work could be managed as best as possible.
''Getting general information out to people throughout the project, how they will be affected by the roadworks, will be important,'' he said.
The government had resumed about 12 leases along the road to allow the new road to pass through the land.
''Leaseholders are on our stakeholder reference group and we meet monthly just to go through the progress of the project and resolve the issues that come up,'' Mr Gill said.
''There are a number of leaseholders affected but there is a high level of support for the project from the leaseholders.
''They say it will benefit the area and I suppose they've been used to dealing with Majura Road and they see the parkway as providing greater access from their point of view.''
Mr Gill said the road would also be constructed with the least possible impact on the environment, including grasslands.
''Good environmental management will be important for the project,'' he said.
