Public Notice: Enlighten Festival Traffic and Infrastructure Maintenance Schedule

Community Notice: March 2026 Service Updates

As Canberra transitions into its peak festival season, the ACT Government and the National Capital Authority have issued several public notices regarding road closures, health advisories, and essential maintenance works active for Tuesday, 3 March 2026. Residents and visitors are encouraged to plan their travel in advance to avoid significant delays in the city center.

Road Closures and Traffic Advisories

A series of traffic changes are in effect to accommodate major events and ongoing infrastructure upgrades:

• Enlighten Festival: Nightly road closures are currently in place within the National Triangle to support the Enlighten Festival projections. Closures affect the Parliamentary Zone each evening from 5:00 PM until late. Detours are clearly marked for motorists traveling between North and South Canberra.
• Commonwealth Avenue Bridge: Work continues on the major bridge renewal project. Northbound and southbound lanes remain restricted, and a dedicated bus and emergency services priority lane is active across the bridge to maintain public transport reliability.
• Light Rail Stage 2A: Essential construction for the new light rail bridge over Parkes Way has resulted in lane reductions on Commonwealth Avenue southbound. Motorists should anticipate intermittent night works and reduced speed limits near the construction site through March.
• Guardrail Maintenance: Lane closures are active on Adelaide Avenue for guardrail safety works, expected to continue through Friday, 6 March.

Public Transport Updates

Transport Canberra has implemented a revised bus network and timetable as of February 2026 to manage city-wide construction impacts. Key updates for Tuesday include:

• Enlighten Diversions: Bus routes traveling through the National Triangle will be diverted from their regular paths after 5:00 PM to accommodate festival pedestrian zones.
• Belconnen Local Services: The new Route 13 local service is operational in Belconnen, replacing sections of the previous Rapid 3 route. High-capacity buses have been deployed to these routes to manage increased passenger demand.
• Stop Relocations: The Regatta Point bus stop (8889) remains closed. Passengers are advised to use the nearest alternative stops as marked on the Transport Canberra network map.

Public Health and Environmental Notices

ACT Health and City Services have issued the following advisories regarding recreation and safety:

• Water Quality Alert: Bargang, Yerra, Dulwa, and Nengi Bamir beaches are currently closed to swimmers. Recent testing indicates high levels of bacteria following seasonal weather events. Residents should avoid primary contact with the water in these areas until further notice.
• Concrete Path Upgrades: Footpath closures are active in various locations across the city as part of the Concrete Path Upgrade Program. Maintenance crews are currently focusing on paths in Yarralumla and Higgins.
• Vegetation Management: Mowing and horticultural maintenance are scheduled for Aranda, Bruce, and Dunlop throughout the day.

Major Project Milestones

Main construction is now underway for the new Lyric Theatre in the Canberra Theatre Centre precinct. Public notices indicate that major service diversions for stormwater and gas are occurring at the junction of Knowles Place and Theatre Lane. Pedestrians should follow all site hoarding and safety signage in the area.