An important step has been taken in the long-term plans for the growth of Thurgoona-Wirlinga, after our Councillors this week selected a contractor to reconstruct the Elizabeth Mitchell-Thurgoona Drive intersection.
Excell Gray Bruni was appointed to carry out the $3.4M project which will make the busy intersection safer and more efficient, especially at peak traffic flow times in the mornings and afternoons.
The reconstruction will include:
- The removal of the existing single-lane roundabout
- A duplicated intersection with left-turn slip lanes
- Dedicated cycle lanes
- Pedestrian crossings
- New line marking and street lighting, and
- The installation of traffic lights
The changes will provide a significant improvement in traffic flow at an intersection that was first constructed in the 1980s and is reaching its capacity to manage the traffic that passes through, especially during those peak times.
Safety improvements will be a major benefit. Apart from zebra crossings on each of the two new slip lanes, there will also be pedestrian crossings with lights on all four approaches to the intersection.
Cyclists will also be catered for, with dedicated lanes to allow riders to safely make their way through the intersection.
Work is scheduled for completion by the middle of this year.
Detours will be in place throughout the construction process and while there may be some short term pain for commuters during that time, the long-term gain will see a modern lights-controlled intersection that is designed specifically to meet the needs of a rapidly-growing community for years to come.
Importantly, this project is very much focused on the future. Thurgoona now has a population of about 9,500; by 2036 it will have grown to 17,500 and within 50 years, an estimated 50,000 people will live in Thurgoona-Wirlinga.
This means that by putting your rates to work now on improving one of the area’s most important intersections, we’ll have long-term groundwork in place to meet the transport needs of hundreds of families who will call Thurgoona home.
The construction of this important development flows from a suite of detailed plans for the future, including the Thurgoona-Wirlinga Structure Plan and the council-community vision for our city, Albury 2030, and follows extensive community consultation.
In October last year, we hosted consultation sessions called Growing Thurgoona – Community Conversations to learn more about what residents, business owners and visitors wanted for Thurgoona-Wirlinga’s future and we were thrilled to get hundreds of responses that provided invaluable feedback on how the community sees transport, recreation, housing and other services being delivered in years to come.
That information is being used to direct strategies for the area’s development and coupled with our Borella Road/Riverina Highway Strategy, the community feedback will help to define our shared way forward.
The Elizabeth Mitchell-Thurgoona Drive development is just one significant component in a suite of projects that will ensure our city remains a great place to live, work and invest in the decades ahead.
Thank you to everyone who’s helped us to reach this point and we’re looking forward to continuing the collaboration as we work together to deliver many exciting improvements for current and future generations.