The ACT government will set aside $30 million over the next three years in next month's territory budget for the second stage of the Gundaroo Drive duplication, transport minister Meegan Fitzharris has announced.
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Construction on the 2.6-kilometre stretch from Gungahlin Drive to the Barton Highway will start next year and will include bus priority infrastructure to make way for the new black rapid service from Belconnen to Gungahlin starting soon, Ms Fitzharris said.
"The intersection will have a bus jump lane as you approach from Gundaroo heading through to Belconnen. It will also have bus priority infrastructure in the second stage and that will enable us [to run] the rapid bus service from Belconnen to Gungahlin and ... it will run even better when there's bus priority infrastructure which means when the lights turn red they'll get to go before the cars," Ms Fitzharris said.
"There are more residents along this part of the road than there are on stage one route so all the work will be done around noise walls, access from the adjoining roads around active travel infrastructure and bus priority."
More than 23,000 motorists travel on Gundaroo Drive every week day.
The investment is expected to be a part of a wider roads package expected to be announced on Thursday.
It comes after Canberra was short-changed on infrastructure investment in Tuesday's federal budget.
Treasurer Scott Morrison allocated $1.5 million for the Pialligo Road duplication, a letter from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull showed.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the ACT had been "overlooked rather than attacked".
"There is no support for any major transport projects in the ACT, and the promised Barton Highway upgrades are not funded in this year's budget," Mr Barr said on Tuesday night.
Ms Fitzharris said the lack of infrastructure for Canberra was "disappointing
"To think there is no infrastructure funding for the federal capital is disappointing given our proportionate size to the rest of the country, you'd think we could expect a proportionate level of investment in infrastructure," Ms Fitzharris said.
