Work has begun on the ACT Government’s project to raise London Circuit and connect it to Commonwealth Avenue – “one of the most significant changes to the road network in central Canberra since the 1960s,” transport minister Chris Steel said.

Government ministers said the road works would connect the CBD to Lake Burley Griffin, but warned Canberrans to rethink how and when they travelled to Civic over the next couple of years.

The construction work is part of the government’s controversial light rail stage 2A to Woden. The government states that light rail, the next stage of Canberra’s integrated public transport network, will give the public more transport options, reduce traffic congestion, and transition the city to zero emissions.

What do the road works involve?

New traffic lights and a new bus lane are being installed at the northern side of Vernon Circle, enabling safer bus movements into the CBD interchange, Mr Steel said. The turning lane will be closed for 12 months, so drivers will need to find alternative ways to move through the CBD using London Circuit, Mr Steel said.

At the same time, a new footpath and pedestrian signals are being constructed on City Hill between Constitution and Edinburgh Avenues. The government says this will better connect the eastern and western parts of the CBD, so people can move through the city more easily.

Work crews will then build up the road on London Circuit between Constitution and Edinburgh Avenues to create a new intersection level with Commonwealth Avenue.

Connecting CBD to Lake Burley Griffin

“Connecting London Circuit to Commonwealth Avenue is a precursor to a number of very significant city-shaping projects,” Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.

Through the City Renewal Authority, the ACT Government is working at Acton Waterfront and on the blocks that will be created by connecting London Circuit to Commonwealth Avenue – these will connect the city to Lake Burley Griffin.

“In many regards, this takes the city forward, but back to an era when it was a little more walkable than it currently is,” Mr Barr said.

Cloverleaf exits that disconnect people from the Lake, and a six-metre high wall that stops pedestrians moving through the CBD were never part of the Burley Griffin plan for Canberra, Mr Steel said.

The CBD “prioritises motor vehicles first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth,” Mr Barr said. “There is no space more alienated to people than what we currently have now. There are more rabbits [on Vernon Circle] in a single day than there are people over the course of the year. And so that is going to change as a result of this initiative and the others that are complementary.

“It’s an important next step in Canberra as a CBD evolving. Our city’s journey has only just begun, but we do know for certain that our population is going to continue to increase, that our CBD will need to be home to more people, more commercial buildings, more residential buildings, and we’re going to see our CBD expand to the south, and to make that connection with Lake Burley Griffin, which has been talked about for so long. So this is a vision becoming a reality!”

But the ACT Auditor-General found last year that the government’s business case for light rail did not stack up, and called on them to provide a revised business case and economic analysis. Capital costs would be much higher than the government estimated; many of the benefits claimed depend on other projects, such as the Acton Waterfront; and the ACT Government had not developed a standard practice Benefits Realisation plan. The government responded in June that it would not update its business case, although it would publish a Benefits Realisation Plan.

• Auditor-General: Light rail 2A will cost more than government claims (24 September 2021)
• Light rail stage 2A business case will not be revised (8 June)

The disruption

Raising London Circuit is expected to take two years, before stage 2A of light rail is constructed.

The ACT Government has asked the community to rethink their travel behaviour, and to consider when and how they travel into the CBD.

“As work increases in the coming months, Canberrans are encouraged to rethink their routine when travelling to the city, especially during the morning peak,” the government advised.

“Whilst every effort is made to minimise disruption throughout construction, including maintaining traffic lanes where possible, there is no doubt this project will change how Canberrans travel in around the city.”

The government expects most of the disruption to occur at peak times, particularly in the morning. At the moment, the disruption will be limited to the north end of Vernon Circle, while four carparks will become site compounds, losing some of their parking spaces. A significant amount of congestion will begin at the end of the year when the first overpass on Commonwealth Avenue over London Circuit is demolished.

“We think that people will still be able to go about their business in the CBD,” Mr Steel said. “But they just need to take into account that they might need to take a little bit longer – five or 10 minutes longer, depending on where they’re travelling in the CBD, and to take on that advice when they’re planning their trip.”

The government has warned businesses and major employers about what they might expect.

“Ultimately, it’ll be a matter between the employer and the employee about what arrangements they put in place to help mitigate disruption on their commute into work,” Mr Steel said.

If office employees work from home, businesses are concerned that loss of traffic could hurt them.

Establishing four construction compounds on CBD carparks took out 600 parking spaces, but there were more than 14,000 spaces around the city people could use, he said.

“So this will mean a change of habit about where people park in the CBD, but we think that there is going to be ample parking for people to choose from,” Mr Steel said.

Details on upcoming traffic and parking changes can be found at BuiltforCBR.act.gov.au/travel-impacts.

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