Labor's decision to scrap three federally supported road projects in the ACT has been labelled "disappointing" and "disgraceful" by community members.
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The $85.9 million in savings exactly adds up to the amount allocated for stage 2A of the light rail project, extending the line to Commonwealth Park.
The cut projects include the Canberra south-west corridor upgrade worth $50.9 million, the Kings Highway corridor worth $30 million and the Boboyan Road upgrade worth $5 million.
The axed upgrades impact Tuggeranong Parkway, Pialligo Avenue and Boboyan Road - a key rural road linking the ACT with the Snowy Mountains.
Tuggeranong Community Council president Glenys Patulny said scrapping upgrades to the south-west corridor, which includes Tuggeranong Parkway and Athllon Drive, would impact up to 40 per cent of the population.
"Some people are trying to say the light rail in the long run will benefit all if it comes all the way through. But in the meantime, we have to put up with things," she said.
"It's not just Tuggeranong. Scrapping upgrades is going to affect Weston Creek, Molonglo, and other areas.
"It's disappointing because it could have an effect long-term. Any increase in [population in] Molonglo, the traffic is going to affect people coming from Tuggeranong."
ACT Australian of the Year Awards recipient and spokesperson for the Boboyan Road User Group, Damian De Marco, labelled the move to pull funding to fix the road "disgraceful".
Mr De Marco has been campaigning for the ACT government to upgrade Boboyan Road for more than 18 months.
The road runs deep into the Namadgi National Park south from Tharwa and is used by emergency services for access during bushfire season.
"It's actually impossible to pass in a two-wheel-drive, and even possibly a four-wheel-drive," he said.
"There are sections worse than a third-world country road. And it's a busy road; come weekends or public holidays you can have 500 cars a day. It's barely a goat track in a lot of spots.
"We don't want a highway, we just want a road that's wide enough and that we can get to the other end of without dying. It's astounding that Canberra has a road that poor quality."
The cut Kings Highway corridor upgrade included Pialligo Avenue from Canberra Airport out to the NSW border and the Kings Highway.
A North Canberra Community Council spokesperson said Pialligo Avenue was experiencing increasing congestion reflecting Brindabella Business Park's growth as an employment hub.
"It is disappointing that the ACT's allocation of federal infrastructure funding in the October budget, which is already meagre by the standards of other states and territories, is being effectively offset by removing other infrastructure commitments," they said.
"There is nothing wrong with the federal government committing funding to the light rail, but the reality is that Canberra is rapidly expanding and we also need more transport infrastructure and cycle lanes to accommodate those Canberrans who cannot directly benefit from the light rail."
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The Canberra south-west corridor package included upgrades to the Tuggeranong Parkway and improvements to intersections and feeder roads along the corridor, such as Athllon Drive, to ease congestion on the corridor which is used by around 40,000 vehicles each day. Construction was due to commence mid-2025 and be completed by early 2031.
The Kings Highway corridor upgrade from the east of Queanbeyan to Canberra Airport was aimed at reducing travel time and congestion between the ACT and NSW. There was no timetable for construction when it was cut.
The Boboyan Road upgrade to improve safety and emergency services vehicle access during bushfire season was due to commence in mid-2023 and be completed mid-2024.
