Gungahlin Drive Extension
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The Gungahlin Drive Extension is a major roadwork construction being undertaken in Canberra, Australia. The GDE is to be a 9 kilometre road linking the Barton Highway to the Tuggeranong Parkway at Glenloch Interchange. The total road will be 16.2km in length, with a speed limit of 80km/h, extending from the already existing Gungahlin Drive in the district of Gungahlin down to the Glenloch Interchange to connect with Parkes Way and the Tuggeranong Parkway.
The Gungahlin Drive Extension project has been under consideration for many years. As early as 1918 Walter Burley Griffin identified the need for transport routes close to the proposed alignment. Planning studies in 1965, 1969 and 1970 clearly showed the proposed transport route. In 1991 the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the ACT ratified the need for the transport route.
This Gungahlin Drive Extension route and the Majura Road upgrading (between the Monaro Highway and Federal Highway), are the two transport routes that are planned to respond to the needs of Gungahlin, Canberra's current major growth area. This route has been acknowledged to be a crucial link in Canberra's transport network for the short and longer terms for residents of northern Canberra and will benefit the entire city.
On January 16th 2003 the ACT Government was forced to make the decision to investigate options for an Eastern Alignment for GDE in the vicinity of the AIS, as well as reviewing options for the alignment in the Aranda Precinct. This decision was forced by the National Capital Authority's decision in December 2002 to support the Eastern alignment for the road as the preferred route. The cuurent cost estimation is $104.05 million with a completion date around early 2008.
Protesters
Ever since the Gungahlin Drive Extension was made public, there have been protests in order to stop or delay work on the road. The main protests have come from a group called Save The Ridge. This group is angry about the posibble destruction of the flora and fauna that may occur with the extension running through the Bruce / O'Connor Ridge. In 2005 Save The Ridge took the ACT Government and the National Capital Authority to the Federal Court of Australia in an effort to have the project shut down. In September 2005 the Federal Court ruled in favour of the NCA and the ACT Government to give the go-ahead for the project to resume.External links
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