Two northbound lanes and one southbound lane will be available on the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge during renewal works. Photo: NCA.
A bus and emergency services lane will be included in traffic arrangements for the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge when a span is closed next year for essential renewal works.
The National Capital Authority said that during construction there would be two northbound lanes and one southbound lane available on the open bridge span.
This will allow one lane of general vehicle traffic in both directions, while the second northbound lane will be a priority lane for buses and emergency services.
The NCA said one span of the bridge would need to be closed for a year to enable the upgrades, which include bridge strengthening and widening of the shared paths to cater to Canberra’s growing population and increasing traffic.
The first span to close will be the northbound one, expected from early January, weather permitting.
The NCA announcement comes after talks with the ACT Government, which had forecast significant traffic delays and network-wide disruption to the bus network when the span closures were first made public.
“During the temporary period of construction, the NCA bridge works will have a cascading and unavoidable impact across our entire bus network, particularly our ability to maintain current service frequencies,” Transport Minister Chris Steel told the Legislative Assembly last month.
He said Transport Canberra was exploring timetabling options and alternative routes to mitigate the impacts as much as possible.
An ACT Government spokesperson said on Tuesday that public transport network changes were being coordinated to align with the start of major works in early 2026, and details of a new bus network would be released in the coming weeks.
The NCA said it was committed to ensuring the community was kept updated closer to construction.
“We recognise construction is going to be disruptive and are working to achieve the best possible management outcomes for Canberrans and visitors to our city,” it said.
The NCA said the works were the most significant upgrades to the bridge since it opened to traffic in 1963.
Next month, two sets of flagpoles along Commonwealth Avenue will be removed, and crossover lanes will be constructed in the north and south medians to manage the flow of traffic to and from the one operating bridge span.
Both bridge spans will remain open during these initial works, but lane closures can be expected.
The NCA said it would continue to work closely with the ACT Government to minimise impacts for all road users as much as possible during the construction period.
The NCA is delivering the project on behalf of the Australian Government.
The NCA will provide further updates and urges the public to keep an eye on the project page.
