Traffic has increased on VRD Drive and Castlereagh Drive because motorists are trying to avoid the traffic congestion at the Vanderlin/Lee Point roundabout. Lyons, Muirhead and Lee Point Stage 1 (all built by DHA) have contributed to the traffic problem.
Fig 1. Vanderlin Drive inbound near Lee Point Road – July 2024.
Fig 2. Traffic on VRD Drive looking towards Lee Point Road – 8am 10 Feb 2026
Fig 3. Traffic on Castlereagh Drive looking towards VRD Drive – 8.05am 10 Feb 2026
DHA plans to house thousands of people at Lee Point which will make traffic problems much worse. Four options to deal with the traffic problems include:
- traffic lights at the intersection (residents do not want this, its been tried before),
- slip lanes at the roundabout (involves expensive service relocation),
- back road to Lee Point (expensive and destroys more of Darwins last wildlife corridor), or
- build near the defence bases.
The simplest and most cost effective solution for the taxpayer/ratepayer (who owns DHA) is to house defence personnel closer to the defence bases, refer Alternative Sites
City of Darwin manage Lee Point Road and roads in Leanyer using our rates.