Page 3257 - Week 10 - Thursday, 25 September 2014
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comprehensive, sustained and increasing over the decade. This investment includes constructing major new road infrastructure, for example our major arterial road projects such as the Majura parkway, Monaro Highway and Gungahlin Drive. Expenditure on road infrastructure over the last 10 years exceeds $1 billion, with $638 million spent in the last four years.
The government has also funded an extensive program to provide new and upgraded cycling and pedestrian infrastructure across the city. From 2011-12, over $12 million in new cycling funding has been committed. Over 131 kilometres of new community paths—footpaths, cycle paths—have been constructed right across the city over the last three years. Some 2,700 kilometres of footpaths and 343 kilometres of off-road cycle paths are maintained on an annual basis.
Existing road infrastructure has not been forgotten, with significant levels of funding being made available to ensure maintenance programs maintain the quality and maximise the life of that infrastructure. Expenditure on the maintenance of road infrastructure and associated assets, such as bridges, paths and traffic signals, exceeds $358 million over the last seven years, with $227 million being spent in the last four years.
At the same time, we have continued to invest in our public transport system, with a number of new initiatives delivered, including new buses and extensions to ACTION’s existing bus network.
The government has also kept an eye on the future and has continued to work with the commonwealth on the planning for high-speed rail on the east coast, including the high priority Sydney to Canberra link.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Minister, can you advise the Assembly of the level of this investment over the past decade in improving our roads network in the ACT?
MS GALLAGHER: I thank Ms Porter for the supplementary. Over the past 10 years the government has invested over a billion dollars in improving our road network right across the city. In addition to this, some $360 million has been spent over the last seven years in maintaining our roads and associated infrastructure to a high standard.
Of course, there has been the expenditure on the major new arterial roads from north to south, with Majura parkway, Gungahlin Drive, the widening of Parkes Way, the Monaro Highway upgrades and the Cotter Road improvements, which have all gone to enhance the road network across the city and ensure that people who are travelling around the city are able to do so quickly and easily. These road networks and the upgrades have also had the capacity to cater for active travel such as cycling. Members will see and notice the increased number of cyclists using this infrastructure to get around the city.
In addition, major project-specific expenditure includes the $288 million for the Majura parkway, which is jointly funded with the commonwealth, which again, as I
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