The design for the $30 million Hobart Airport Interchange has been released for public consultation.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester, said the Government was delivering on its election commitment with a four-lane interchange to replace the existing roundabout, which is already operating at capacity.
“The new interchange will improve safety and travel times for airport commuters, and help cope with predicted traffic increases from nearby residential growth and commercial development,” Mr Chester said.
“A 1.6km section of Tasman Highway will be upgraded and the dual carriageway will be extended further east, while a four-lane overpass with the realigned Holyman Avenue and Kennedy Drive will improve connections to and between the airport and Cambridge Park.”
Tasmanian Acting Minister for Infrastructure, Michael Ferguson, said under the proposed design, the Tasman Highway would pass underneath Holyman Avenue and Kennedy Drive, allowing through-traffic to continue uninterrupted.
“This commitment by the State and Federal Governments will address a long-standing productivity bottleneck, and I’m sure it will be very warmly welcomed by everyone travelling along this section of the Tasman Highway,” Mr Ferguson said.
“A new, signalised two-lane off-ramp to the airport and a continuous-flow on-ramp from the airport would further provide for future traffic increases.
“This project will better connect Cambridge, Seven Mile Beach and the Hobart International Airport precinct, and improve travel time reliability and traffic flow along the Tasman Highway.”
The Australian Government has committed $24 million and the Tasmanian Government $6 million to fund the project.
Tenders for the project are expected to be called in mid-2018, with construction anticipated to start in late 2018.
