Motorists will lose access to about half of one of the ACT government's largest surface car parks in the city centre this week, as work begins to set up a construction compound for the complex work to raise London Circuit.
Work will soon begin to establish the compound at the City Hill car park, at the corner of London Circuit and Constitution Avenue, where 330 of the 650 car parks will be closed.
The government will also shut 165 spaces at its 41 Marcus Clarke Street car park on October 5, with car parks to be shut at the Acton Waterfront and the south-west corner of London Circuit in coming months.
The government will close or change access to 665 of the city centre's approximately 14,250 public parking spaces, with spots progressively removed as site compounds and work sites are set up.
The main site office for the raising London Circuit project will be at the City Hill car park. The project is expected to take about two years to complete.
ACT Transport Minister Chris Steel has said the significant disruption to traffic and parking in Canberra's city centre while work continues on the second stage of light rail will force people to change their commuting habits.
"We hope that through that process in providing people with opportunities to rethink their route and routine, that they will find better ways to commute into the city in the least disruptive way as possible and in the shortest period of time," Mr Steel told The Canberra Times earlier this month.
"Of course, we'll be promoting public transport through the period in the future and other forms of sustainable transport, but we know that many people will still need to commute by car.
"We do think that there is ample parking within the city footprint to accommodate those who may need to change where they're currently parking across the four car parks that are affected."
The government has recommended motorists park at the Canberra Olympic Pool or Canberra Institute of Technology surface car parks, or at the National Convention Centre car park.
The closest car parks to 41 Marcus Clarke Street and the Edinburgh Avenue car park are the City West multi-storey car park, the 121 Marcus Clarke Street underground car park and the New Acton basement car park at 1 Phillip Law Street, the government said.
Alternative car parks to Acton waterfront surface car park are at Regatta Place and the New Acton basement car park.
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