OVERNIGHT the Canberra Liberals have released a picture they claim is what Northbourne Avenue will look like after the initial construction of the light rail line.

In return Labor’s Simon Corbell has been incandescent.

“The Canberra Liberals have again misled Canberrans on the facts of light rail and its impact on Northbourne Avenue,” Simon said.

“The Canberra Liberals are misleading Canberrans with this cynical attempt to imply that Northbourne Avenue will look like a highway, which just simply isn’t the case.

“The Capital Metro reference design indicates that light rail tracks will occupy about 7 metres of Northbourne Avenue’s total 27 metre width, leaving 10 metres on either side for landscaping and trees.

“The government expects that the semi-mature Eucalyptus Mannifera will be approximately 4-5 metres high when first planted during the construction phase of Capital Metro.

“The Canberra Liberals’ ill-informed artists’ impression of light rail on Northbourne is misleading and does not represent what Northbourne Avenue will look like once light rail is built.

“The ACT Government has always been clear that Northbourne Avenue will retain its boulevard character, with 1000 more trees once light rail has been built than there is today,” Mr Corbell said.