As a flow-on from the new CIT works in Woden and the upgrading of the Bus Interchange there the old bus layover at the top of Hindmarsh Drive is being upgraded and enlarged. This is going to have its own flow-on effect on the configuration of the driveway into the Canberra Equestrian Centre and the current route of the Bicentennial National Trail from the horse gate into Narrabundah Hill. Both ACTEA and CRC met with TCCS representatives on site in April to discuss the impact of this development. The Development Application (DA 202341811) reflects those discussions. In summary, the old BNT route across the bitumen stub of Hindmarsh Drive, dodging piles of rubbish and parked utes, will be moved back into the open land behind a fence. The route will be a purpose built stabilised surface of 150mm graded asphalt millings over geofabric underlay to compensate for occasional surface water in the area. It is the purple mottled arc to the far left of the attached plan.
The CRC driveway, the other purple arc on the plan, will now have a bend in it specifically contoured to cope with horse floats and trucks.
It is the intention of the construction team that the new BNT route will be constructed first and then kept open during the rest of the works on the site.
Timing for these works to start is estimated to be around October this year. The DA has still to be approved there will be a tender process for the job.
Once the project is ready to go ACTEA will notify affiliates.
