One of Canberra's busiest roads could be in for upgrade, with the ACT government looking to make future improvements to Parkes Way.
Documents have revealed the government is looking to conduct infrastructure studies of the transport corridor to develop upgrade concepts to relieve traffic on the heavily congested road.
The studies will examine the current state of Parkes Way between Kings Avenue and the Glenloch Interchange, along with all of the Tuggeranong Parkway.
It's also set to identify how safety improvements could be made to the road, along with infrastructure improvements.
"Congestion along Parkes Way is a major concern due to high traffic volumes, particularly during AM and PM peaks," tender documents said.
"Traffic volumes on Parkes Way are anticipated to continue increasing due to ongoing land releases and associated population growth in the west of Canberra, combined with the densification of our city centres."
The Glenloch Interchange and how roads feed into the Tuggeranong Parkway will also be looked at in the upcoming infrastructure report.
It comes as further safety improvements will be made to the road this year with the inclusion of variable speed limit signs along the Parkway.
Traffic data has shown that 4000 vehicles use the Tuggeranong Parkway per hour during peak period, while the road has 40,000 vehicles on it per day.
"Traffic volumes are forecast to further increase as ongoing development occurs in the Molonglo Valley," the documents said.
"The Parkway already suffers from traffic congestion and is highly susceptible to delays following crashes, owing to the controlled access nature of the road and the limited viable alternative routes available."
An extra northbound lane on the Parkway between Cotter Road and the Glenloch Interchange has been identified as a method to avoid traffic demand exceeding the road's capacity.
The government has also proposed a new interchange along the Tuggeranong Parkway, north of the intersection with Cotter Road.
The new infrastructure study for Parkes Way and the Tuggeranong Parkway are the latest in a long line of reports about the transport corridor.
In the past eight years, 13 design studies have been conducted in relation to the area.
The ACT government has previously laid out several proposals in recent years to improve traffic along Parkes Way.
An extra westbound lane was added to the road in 2013 as part of a widening project.
A government report in 2014 examined the cost of lowering the road to link the city more directly with the lake, which found the project would have cost $460 million, almost double the cost of building the Majura Parkway.
A 2019 report by Infrastructure Australia revealed the traffic corridor between Civic and Canberra Airport, which takes in large sections of Parkes Way, would become the city's worst road in terms of congestion by 2031.
The government is expected to award the contract for the infrastructure study in June.
