Caswell Drive
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Gungahlin Drive Extension GDE / Gungahlin Drive Australian Capital Territory |
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| Gungahlin Drive heading southbound, just after Ellenborough Street overpass | |
| Type | Parkway |
| Length | 8.3 km (5.2 mi) |
| Maintained by | Territory and Municipal Services |
| History |
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| North end |
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| South end |
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The Gungahlin Drive Extension (or the GDE) is a freeway grade roadway, largely located in the Belconnen district of Canberra, Australia. It is 8.3 kilometres long and extended the previously existing Gungahlin Drive from the Barton Highway in the district of Gungahlin to the Glenloch Interchange to connect with the Tuggeranong Parkway, Parkes Way, and William Hovell Drive. Early in the planning stages, the GDE was to instead be designated the John Dedman Parkway.
The GDE consists of two roads: the section of Gungahlin Drive located between Barton Highway and Belconnen Way, and Caswell Drive, located between Belconnen Way and the Glenloch Interchange. Caswell Drive was pre-existing but duplicated and upgraded as part of the works.
The extension was originally opened with a speed limit of 80 km/h (50 mph), but after review was increased to 90 km/h (56 mph)
The Gungahlin Drive Extension project had its genesis in planning that emphasised the motor car as the primary means of travel in Canberra. This philosophy is shown in planning studies dating from the 1960s.
In 1991, the ACT Liberal Government began consultations for a John Dedman Parkway project, which would have gone from the Barton Highway to Belconnen Way. This project was subsequently renamed the Gungahlin Drive Extension, with the road proceeding to the Glenloch Interchange.
This Gungahlin Drive Extension route and the Majura Road upgrading (between the Monaro Highway and Federal Highway), are two transport routes that are on the drawing board as north-south routes. Some consider the GDE route as a crucial link in Canberra's transport network while others consider it a white elephant and support other transport alternatives, such as light rail between Gungahlin and Civic.
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