Construction of a shared path along Heysen Street starts today (3 August 2020) and runs through to 2 November 2020.
There will be a road closure in place on Heysen Street between Bellette Street and Devonport Street during construction, however, it will not be for the entire 3-month construction period. It will probably be eight weeks at most.
Signage about road closures will be displayed in the area to alert all road users.
This new 1km long, 3m wide, separated path over Oaky Hill will provide a much needed east-west connection between Weston and the Woden Valley and improve the safety of riders. Previously the only way for riders to make this journey was to risk riding on the crumbling and inadequate shoulder on Heysen street which was doubly dangerous due to the elevation, poor sight lines. Or to take a long detour adding many minutes to the daily commute.
This new path is the result of many years of advocacy by Pedal Power ACT and its members. The ACT Equestrian Association, Weston Creek Community Council and Pedal Power ACT worked together to achieve a design that should work well for residents, horse riders and bike riders.
The ACT Government committed the substantial funds ($1.2m) necessary to complete this path in the 2018 Budget.