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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Bageshri Savyasachi

Commonwealth Ave partly closed to traffic from Friday, here's what you need to know

Traffic will be diverted while northbound lanes of Commonwealth Avenue are closed for the weekend to allow work on the next stage of the light rail.

The major road connecting Civic to south Canberra will be shut to most northbound traffic between 8pm on Friday, August 16 and 6am on Monday, August 19.

Most vehicles heading north from the State Circle towards Parkes Way will be blocked from accessing the road which will be fully closed between Parkes Way and Vernon Circle.

Northbound traffic will be directed from Adelaide Avenue onto State Circle and drivers will be asked to use the Kings Avenue Bridge to cross the lake and enter the city using ANZAC Parade or Coranderrk Street.

Arrangements will be made for traffic coming onto Parkes Way from Kings Avenue Bridge.

Stage 2 of the Light Rail network will travel over the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge and then down to Woden. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong

The ACT government said relocation of utilities along Commonwealth Avenue would be done during this time, but nearby buildings, buses and local traffic for hotels will still have access to Commonwealth Avenue going north.

The northbound ramp from State Circle onto Commonwealth Avenue will also be closed and traffic controllers will be in place to direct buses and motorists.

"Motorists are also encouraged to use alternative options such as the Tuggeranong Parkway or the Monaro Highway to travel northbound during that weekend," the government's website said.

"Active travellers will need to use the shared path along Commonwealth Avenue southbound in both directions across Parkes Way and London Circuit."

If wet weather and unforeseen circumstances stop relocation work from being completed in this time, the road will be closed again between 8pm on Friday, August 23 and 6am on Monday, August 26.

Raising London Circuit construction works in 2021. Picture by Karleen Minney

Weekend works include relocating fibre optic communication cables so they can be accessed without interfering with future light rail services.

"Fibre optic cables that would intercept with the alignment for this part of the network would be relocated between Albert Street, underneath Lake Burley Griffin towards the southwestern cloverleaf where Flynn Drive and Commonwealth Avenue intersect, towards the on-ramp off Flynn Drive, continuing along King Edwards Terrace onto Mall Road West, where the alignment ends," a project description stated.

A spokesman for the ACT government had previously said the works were required to avoid intercepts with the construction area of the light rail project.

"The relocated assets must connect into the existing telecommunication networks which determines the connection points," the spokesperson said at the beginning of the first stage of the Raising London Circuit project last year.

"The utility authorities have indicated that the required connection point to their existing assets is on King Edward Terrace (in proximity to Mall Road West)."

For more details, visit builtforcbr.act.gov.au/travel-impacts

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