27 November 2018

Northbourne Avenue closures announced for light rail works

| Ian Bushnell
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The push is on to complete Stage 1 of the light rail project but the service won’t start until some time in the first quarter of 2019. File photo.

Road users will face major disruptions along Northbourne Avenue over the next three weeks as Canberra Metro strives to complete Stage 1 of light rail before Christmas.

The Government has announced that diversions will be in place around the light rail works along Northbourne Avenue near Morphett and Murdoch Streets until 17 December as the Gungahlin to City works continue to progress.

It says that in order to accommodate important works in the Northbourne Avenue median, there will be significant traffic changes in place that will cause delays for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.

Northbourne Avenue southbound and northbound traffic will be reduced to two lanes (24 hours a day) until 17 December, while pedestrian and bicycle traffic crossing between Dickson and Lyneham will be diverted in a ‘U’ shape around the works on the road behind concrete barriers.

Both the Morphett and Murdoch Street vehicle crossings will be closed throughout these works, with detours via the Mouat/Antill Streets and Wakefield/Macarthur Avenue intersections.

Detours, traffic control and pedestrian management will be in place, and signage and personnel will be highly visible throughout the works. Motorists are encouraged to follow the detours and allow additional travel time. Significant delays are expected between Lyneham and the city centre.

Stage 1 is due to be completed next month after a year of delays but services will not start until some time in the first quarter of 2019.

For up-to-date information on road closures, call Canberra Metro on 1300 208 824, visit www.canberra-metro.com.au or follow Canberra Metro on social media.

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Richard Agent10:56 am 10 Dec 18

Gungahlin residents will be ecstatic when light rail is up and running. They’ll be able to drive to Civic in 30 minutes once the roads are open again. It’ll still be quicker than driving/busing to the town centre for a promised 25 minute light rail ‘experience’.

ChrisinTurner2:23 pm 10 Dec 18

The people in Gungahlin who think there will be no peak-hour road congestion after light rail starts are fooling themselves. The combination of closing many bus routes, changing back to buses at each end and the need to stand in the LR rather than sit in a bus, will put many people back into their cars.

Residents along Northbourne should have done what my colleague did: she bought a unit two years ago and immediately rented it out, moving to a rental on the southside near work and leaving it to her tenants to deal with the noise and disruptions. She’ll resume occupancy when the light rail is fully completed.

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