Athllon Drive Duplication

Funding: $98.55 million, jointly funded by the Australian and ACT governments.

The Athllon Drive Duplication will widen the key arterial road between the Woden and Tuggeranong town centres, easing pressure on one of the busiest routes in Canberra's south.

Current updates

Southern section main works

• The Development Application (DA) has been approved for the section between Sulwood Drive and Drakeford Drive.
• The ACT Government has released a Request for Tender for the main construction works.
• Find the tender documents, submission requirements and supporting information at Tenders ACT. The tender closes on 28 August 2026.

Overview

During peak periods, two rapid bus routes, cyclists and nearly 2,000 vehicles use Athllon Drive every hour.

The project will duplicate the 2.4-kilometre southern section between Sulwood Drive and Drakeford Drive.

Southern section

Detailed design began in 2023, and preparation of the planning approval submission is underway. A public notification period is part of the ACT planning approval process.

Several site studies have helped inform the design. These included measuring Gang-gang Cockatoo hollows in trees, assessing the road surface and monitoring noise.

The main construction works are expected to take up to three years and are subject to final approvals and a successful procurement process.

Two packages of enabling works are now complete. Package 1 was completed in February 2025 and package 2 in February 2026. These help manage traffic and pedestrians during the main works.

Community benefits

• Improved travel times for all transport modes
• Improved safety for walking, cycling, public transport and driving
• The design does not rule out future light rail in this transport corridor.

Project features

• Duplication of traffic lanes along Athllon Drive to add capacity
• A new underpass to provide a free-flowing active travel route on the C4 walking and cycling path under Sulwood Drive
• Improvements to the C4 walking and cycling path and connecting paths
• Part-time traffic lights on the Athllon Drive / Sulwood Drive roundabout to improve traffic flow
• New traffic lights at three intersections — Athllon Drive / Langdon Avenue / Atkins Street, Athllon Drive / Vosper Street, and Athllon Drive / Fincham Crescent
• New bus stops near the underpasses between the Sulwood Drive and Langdon Avenue / Atkins Street intersections to improve public transport access
• A rebuilt southbound Park and Ride bus stop on the new duplicated carriageway
• Wider, upgraded underpass bridges and a new bridge for the duplicated carriageway
• Water quality measures to reduce pollution in run-off flowing from Athllon Drive into Lake Tuggeranong.

Northern section

The ACT Government is evaluating how best to stage the northern section to align with other work in the corridor. This work includes the Southern Gateway Planning and Design Framework and the Suburban Land Agency's land releases. The timing of this section has therefore changed.

Community engagement

In May 2024, the community gave feedback on the preliminary design for the southern section. View the engagement report (PDF 565KB).

Reports and publications

• Preliminary design drawing (PDF 2.9MB)
• Landscape plan (PDF 5.2MB)
• Sustainability objectives and targets (PDF 2.6MB)

Stay up to date

• Subscribe to receive updates on the project.
• Email the project team at InfrastructureCanberra@act.gov.au.