The ACT Government is to spend millions of dollars landscaping the Gungahlin Drive Extension after the official Government architect panned the look of the road.
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The territory's roads boss has told a Legislative Assembly Committee that his agency was also responding to ''reasonable'' concerns from the public about the appearance of the first phase of the controversial road and was spending $3million on the landscaping around the Glenloch Interchange.
Roads ACT director Tony Gill also said the 80km/h speed limit on the new road, widely criticised by motorists as too low, was likely to stay in place until concerns from Belconnen residents about traffic noise were addressed.
Mr Gill said that his agency was reacting to official and unofficial criticism of the first phase of the road.
''Some of the feedback, and on reflection it is reasonable commentary, [is] from the general public,'' Mr Gill told the committee.
''But also from Alastair Swayn, the Government architect, who has cast his eye over it, that the landscaping along the corridor was not befitting a major road.
''We took that on board as part of the stage two works.''
Mr Gill said that the road building stage of the project was finished and that Roads ACT was now looking for a firm to undertake the massive job of landscaping the entire length of the road.
A Territory and Municipal Services spokesman said yesterday that exact figures were not available on the cost of the total landscaping work.
Mr Gill said that he was consulting with Mr Swayn on the landscaping issue.
''We've sought advice from the Government architect about how we might improve the appearance of the route, particularly the Glenloch Interchange, where approximately $3million will be spent to improving,'' he said.
Under questioning from Liberal MLA Alistair Coe, Mr Gill said that the road's 80km/h speed limit was partly due to pressure from householders in Kaleen and Aranda worried about noise levels generated by cars travelling at higher speeds.
The Roads ACT Executive recalled that the consultation process had been ''vigorous''.
''During the public consultation in 2002 and 2003 ... there was a commitment given, in response to concerns of residents of Kaleen and Aranda, about the proximity of the road to their residences, that the speed limit would be 80km/h to mitigate from a traffic noise point of view,'' Mr Gill said.
''We'll provide advice to the minister about reviewing the speed limit, we'll review the travel speeds on the road, the usage of the road, we'll have a discussion with residents in Aranda in particular and we'll provide some advice.''