Federal Labor has pledged to launch a multi-million dollar feasibility study into widening Pialligo Avenue from Canberra Airport to Queanbeyan if elected on July 2.
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But advocates for the duplication of another cross-border road say the election will be won or lost on the Barton Highway.
Transport infrastructure across the NSW and ACT borders would get a $6.6 million funding injection under a Labor government, candidate for Eden-Monaro Mike Kelly said on Monday, in Labor's first major policy announcement for the bellwether seat ahead of the federal election.
But Sophie Wade of the Duplicate the Barton Highway Community Action Group said the Barton Highway is the "missing link".
Yass Shire was absorbed into the Eden Monaro electorate after electoral boundary changes and she said their group plans to leverage the seat's marginal status to finally alleviate congestion on the "mad mile".
"We've been a safe seat for 20 years and we got nothing but idle promises. Eden Monaro is only held by 1000 votes," she said.
With a frontrunner yet to emerge in the protracted election campaign, Ms Wade said commitments to fix local problems would win out.
"There's no compelling reason to vote for anyone this election so you may as well vote for your local issues," she said.
"It's trench warfare and the trench for Eden Monaro is definitely the Barton Highway. If they don't address the Barton Highway they're conceding defeat."
Mr Kelly said duplicating Pialligo Road would be key to realising the "strategic potential" for the regional economy, in line with opening up the Port of Eden and the Canberra International Airport to commercial freight operations.
Under Monday's announcement, the former member for Eden-Monaro - who was ousted from office during 2013 by the incumbent Liberal MP Dr Peter Hendy - said $2 million would be spent on studies into the duplication of Pialligo Avenue from Queanbeyan to the airport.
He said the Shorten government would work with the ACT Labor government on "eliminating the impediments created by the ACT-NSW border".
However ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr told Fairfax Media last year duplicating Pialligo Avenue wasn't an "immediate priority".
Mr Kelly also told Fairfax Media last year there could be a "very good case" for investing in the Barton Highway "as part of a broader regional strategic economic plan".
Another $2 million would be spent on a cross-border conference to explore running commuter passenger trains from NSW to Canberra.
$2 million would be allocated to upgrade the Queens Bridge dip in Queanbeyan with the NSW Government called on to match the funds, and $600,000 to provide Googong residents with direct access to the Monaro Highway, Mr Kelly said.
