A design and construction contract worth $70 million has been awarded for works to add a new flyover on one of Canberra's most dangerous roads.
Woden Contractors will design and build the southbound flyover on the Monaro Highway over Lanyon Drive, which will include three-metre-wide sealed shoulders.
The contract also includes a new widened bridge on the highway's northbound carriageway over Dog Trap Creek, and upgrades to the road pavement between David Warren Road to Sheppard Street.
Main works are expected to begin next year and will take three years, the ACT government said.
"The Lanyon Drive interchange is being designed to minimise the impact on existing native vegetation in the area. The landscaping plans will be finalised during the detailed design phase and focus on local and native species, prioritising tree planting, water sensitive urban design and biodiversity conservation," the government said in a statement.
Utility works begun in January 2022 near Lanyon Drive have been completed that will allow the construction of the flyover.
Improvements to the Monaro Highway have been jointly funded by the ACT and Commonwealth governments.
Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King said the project would create about 700 jobs through the design and construction phases.
"Projects like this are important to not only keep local people employed and businesses running, but also to provide the region's community with better infrastructure and safer roads into the future," Ms King said.
ACT Transport Minister Chris Steel said the Monaro Highway works would support Canberra's growing population by improving safety and ensuring freight and people could be moved efficiently.
"The Lanyon Drive flyover is part of a program of works to improve safety on the Monaro Highway by removing dangerous at-grade intersections and separating traffic turning across the highway, in and out of the Hume industrial precinct and NSW," Mr Steel said.
"With construction work on the project ramping up, I thank commuters in advance for their patience as we build a safer Monaro Highway."
