It was once at the forefront of comfort and convenience for the suburban bus traveller, but after five decades of service work will begin this week to pull down the Woden Bus Interchange.
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Transport Minister Chris Steel said it was the end of an era as work began to level the site for a new Canberra Institute of Technology campus.
"The new campus will be located on the old interchange site, while the new interchange will be constructed on Callam Street," Mr Steel said.
"The precinct will be a completely integrated public transport and education hub with vibrant green spaces that welcomes students, workers, business, and commuters."
The Woden Bus Interchange opened on Monday, December 4, 1972.
A press release from the Department of the Interior, then tasked with administering the ACT, trumpeted the new facilities that included a public toilet block, including showers, where attendants were on duty Monday to Saturday.
The interchange's prestige was not always in high regard, with a 1994 Canberra Times story noting its "seedy reputation for under-age drinking, drugs and violence".
After a series of upgrades and remodelling projects the interchange at the end handled 683 buses each day across 11 platforms.
The last bus was a route 59 service which left platform 7 at 9.30pm on Sunday, January 29. A new network began on January 30.
The Woden Interchange outlasted a similar interchange at Belconnen, which opened in January 1979 and was shut in May 2009 as part of a redevelopment of Westfield's Belconnen Mall.
The government said there would be increased activity at the interchange site over the coming months, including works to demolish existing buildings and pavements, and a larger number of trucks.
"The significance of the works occurring said cannot be understated with these projects representing the biggest infrastructure investments in the Woden Town Centre in more than 50 years," Mr Steel said.
"Once completed, the new CIT Woden campus will support up to 6,500 students each year, while the new interchange will cement Woden's position as the major destination hub for Canberrans on the southside."
Students are expected to begin at the campus in 2025. A development application for the new campus is currently being assessed.
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Eight women have begun a traineeship on the Canberra Institute of Technology campus project, while also commencing studies at the institute.
The terms of the contract require Lendlease, which is building the new interchange and campus, to boost the number of women, apprentices and First Nations people employed on the project.
The government said women make up 15 per cent of people currently working on the project, while 4 per cent of the workers are First Nations people.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
