Monaro Highway Upgrade

Funding: $260.5 million, jointly funded by the Australian and ACT governments.

The Monaro Highway Upgrade will improve road safety and create faster travel for Tuggeranong, the Woden Valley and southern New South Wales.

Current Updates

• Pavement construction continues across the work area.
• Temporary traffic lights are in place for northbound traffic at the Monaro Highway and Lanyon Drive intersection.
• During quieter periods on weekdays, the Monaro Highway may have one lane open in each direction.

Find out more on the Travel Impacts page.

Overview

The Monaro Highway Upgrade is a long-term program to improve road safety, freight movement and travel times.

The Australian and ACT governments have committed $260.5 million to 2 sections of the upgrade through the Investment Road and Rail Program. The first section was completed in July 2020. It delivered a new overtaking lane south of Canberra, between Old Cooma Road and Williamsdale Road.

Work is underway on a flyover and interchange where Lanyon Drive meets the Monaro Highway in Hume. This stage has 3 packages: 1A, 1B and 1C. You can read about each package below.

Package 1C requires assessment under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 because the critically endangered Striped Legless Lizard is present in the area. You can find the relevant reports under Reports and publications.

Preliminary design work has also explored possible future interchanges at Mugga Lane and Tralee Street in Hume, and at Isabella Drive. These projects are subject to future government decisions. Design work for Isabella Drive will consider possible connections to New South Wales.

Community benefits

• The first stage of the project led to improved safety due to the creation of:
  • safety barriers
  • a new overtaking lane
  • a wider median strip
  • a new left-turn slip lane for southbound traffic
  • sealed shoulders.
• Faster and smoother commutes and freight journeys due to:
  • new lanes
  • flyovers
  • intersections
  • on- and off-ramps.

Project features

Lanyon Drive interchange

The Lanyon Drive interchange has 3 work packages. This allows construction to begin on work with fewer environmental constraints and planning approvals.

Package 1A: complete

Work began in January 2022 and finished in February 2024. It included:

• relocating and protecting major water mains and telecommunications networks
• relocating 2 gas mains.

Package 1B: under construction

This package includes:

• a southbound flyover carrying the Monaro Highway over Lanyon Drive
• upgrades to the highway between David Warren Road and Sheppard Street, including 3-metre-wide sealed shoulders
• a wider northbound bridge over Dog Trap Creek/Woden Creek, north of Lanyon Drive
• an improved northbound merge from Lanyon Drive onto the highway
• Indigenous artwork on parts of the new bridge.

Package 1C: awaiting approvals

Subject to approval, this package will:

• build a roundabout where the new southbound off-ramp meets the David Warren Road extension
• add a connection to the traffic lights at Lanyon Drive and Sheppard Street for the David Warren Road extension and southbound off-ramp
• remove the traffic lights at the Alexander Maconochie Centre intersection on David Warren Road.

View the key features of the Lanyon Drive Interchange work [PDF 1.99 MB].

Possible future interchanges

The Hume and Isabella Drive interchanges are being considered for future upgrades. Their designs and delivery are subject to future government decisions.

Hume interchange

Possible work includes:

• a flyover connecting Mugga Lane and Tralee Street
• changes to the Monaro Highway and Sheppard Street intersection so drivers can only turn left into and out of the Hume Industrial Precinct
• upgrades to the Mugga Lane and John Cory Road roundabout
• upgrades to nearby streets and intersections, including Tralee Street and Sheppard Street.

Isabella Drive interchange

Possible work includes:

• a flyover carrying the Monaro Highway over an extended Isabella Drive
• an extension of Isabella Drive from the existing Monaro Highway roundabout, with a new roundabout connecting to southern Tralee Street
• a southbound off-ramp connecting the Monaro Highway to the Isabella Drive extension
• new lanes alongside the northbound highway between Isabella Drive and Mugga Lane to help drivers enter and leave the highway.

View the possible future Hume and Isabella Drive interchange work (PDF, 42 MB)

Stay up to date

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

Reports and publications

• Annual Compliance Report
• Monaro Highway Upgrade Package 1C – Construction Environmental Management Plan
• West Kenny Offset Management Plan

Images