Roystonea Ave Palmerston NT: Tender out for $25m duplication between Terry and Lambrick Aves
With Palmerston’s population expected to swell by about 20,000 additional residents out to 2040–41, the government is getting in early by duplicating a key road. Find out when your commute will be disrupted.
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The $25 million duplication of Palmerston’s main distributor road, Roystonea Ave, has gone out to tender, with the responsible NT government department promising when completed, the project will carry safety and productivity benefits.
Earlier this year, the federal government invested $20m in the duplication of the road from Terry to Lambrick avenues out of a total $193m spend on Territory roads under the 2024–25 commonwealth budget.
The first stage of widening Roystonea Ave up to Terry Ave was completed in 2015–16.
In a statement, Department of Logistics and Infrastructure CEO Louise McCormick said Roystonea Ave was how many suburban residents accessed the Palmerston CBD and Darwin.
“This project will ease queuing and congestion by extending the duplication of Roystonea Ave from Terry Drive through to Lambrick Ave,” she said.
“The duplication caters for future growth expected in the Top End and will enhance safety for road users, which is vitally important with 50 lives tragically lost on Territory roads already this year.”
According to NT Government figures, the population of Palmerston is due to hit 59,757 by 2040–41 (it currently sits at an estimated 40,447).
Last year’s NT Government annual traffic report concluded there were 20,839 vehicle movements (inbound and outbound) on Roystonea Ave in 2023.
Extrapolating those figures, it is reasonable to conclude there will be an additional 10,000 vehicle movements each year on Roystonea Ave by 2040–41.
The new carriageway will be constructed on the northern side of the existing carriageway, the department said in its request for tender documents.
A key focus of the duplication will be on improvements at the intersection of Roystonea Ave and Inverway Cct, which will see the addition of pedestrian crossings and traffic signals.
Inverway Cct is one of the main ways residents of Farrar and Johnston access Roystonea Ave.
The intersection of Roystonea and Buscall Ave would also be upgraded to a signalised intersection.
The department expects the duplication of Roystonea Ave – some existing sections will also be resurfaced – to address the seasonal localised flooding that the route is occasionally afflicted by.
The request for tender closes on November 28, with a mandatory industry briefing to be held on October 17 at Palmerston’s Highway House.
Construction is expected to commence in April 2025.
It was not immediately clear whether the NT Government had a prospective completion date in mind.
Among the voluminous conditions specified by the department in the request for tender, there is included:
– Construction traffic for accessing/exiting the site must only use Temple Tce, Roystonea and Lambrick Aves.
– Employ at least five locally registered NT trades apprentices.
– The ability to close Buscall Ave and/or Inverway Cct to undertake works, but not at the same time.
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