A facelift has officially begun on one of the city’s most controversial intersections, if not one of the most dangerous.
Locals seem torn whether the Albert St and Station Road, and Albert St and Church St intersections should be upgraded at Bethania in an effort to tame the off-ramp.
The two intersections will get a set of lights in what council says will “increase safety and improve traffic flow”.
The work, which will take about four months, will also see the installation of additional turning lanes, sections of on-road cycleways, road resurfacing and line marking, lighting, signage and landscaping, a council statement said last week.
Cr Tony Hall, who represents the area on council, said dubbed the intersections a “Mexican stand-off” with motorists confused by the number of stop signs.
They often waited to “see who was going to go first with the right of way”.
“Residents have raised concerns about this intersection and I’m glad that we could get it done as a priority,” Cr Hall said.
“It’s a busy intersection and now motorists will be able to navigate it safely.”
Some residents have said the off-ramp will now be at risk of becoming a traffic jam in peak hours.
“Anyone who has used the intersection before will know that it can be tricky to navigate because of the number of access points,” council’s Infrastructure chair Teresa Lane said.
“What Council has proposed here is a permanent solution that will clear up the confusion and make the road fit for increasing traffic volumes.
“The new design was carefully considered by Council road engineers and motorists will certainly notice a big difference when the project is completed.”
Roadwork will be done between 8pm and 5am, Sunday to Friday and won’t be done more than two nights in a row.
All work is expected to be done in April.
