A long-gestating plan to fix one of Ballarat’s most notorious traffic congestion crawls is back on the agenda.
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VicRoads’ $7 million redevelopment of Mair Street is slated to include two lanes of traffic each way between Doveton and Humffray streets, and significant upgrades to intersections.
The preliminary proposal flags the replacement of the roundabout at the intersection of Dawson and Mair streets with traffic lights.
Mair Street is used by 15,000 vehicles daily on average, causing traffic to bank up during peak times.
Peel Street and Humffray Street intersections will be upgraded with new turning lanes. Synchronised traffic light patterns are also slated for the entire strip.
But VicRoads would not confirm how many car parks will be lost due to the redevelopment, with traders fearing it could be as high as 179 fewer spots. Following trader consultation, planned roadside trees have been re-positioned to reduce this number.
Under the redevelopment, existing car parks in the Mair Street median are still slated for removal, while some angle parking will be replaced with parallel parking, causing a overall reduction in parking spots.
The Courier understands that detailed plans for the Mair Street project will be released within weeks.
Investigations are continuing on how to solve the problem of the roundabout at Grenville Street, as it sits on a bridge which may need to be upgraded to allow construction in the area.
A notice of motion is tabled for Ballarat City Council’s ordinary meeting on March 14, with Cr Amy Johnson calling on council not to support the proposal in its draft form.
Upgrades to fix Mair Street’s traffic woes have been brewing since the plan was included in City of Ballarat’s 2010 CBD Strategy.
In a February update, VicRoads said it was hoped all construction for the project would be completed by Christmas, in order to curtail disruption to businesses.
“The $7 million Mair Street upgrade will improve safety and ease congestion, making it easier for people to move in and around the CBD,” VicRoads acting regional director Mal Kersting said. “We’re continuing to work with traders while we finalise designs.”
A project monitoring group comprising of VicRoads, City of Ballarat and traders, including Commerce Ballarat, has been formed to consult on how to minimise impact to businesses during construction.
A nine day pop-up shop which shared preliminary plans was hosted in mid-2017 on Lydiard Street and received 235 visitors, while 19 Ballarat traders attended business briefings.
Read more Seeking a fix to Mair Street nightmare
This article was amended to clarify the attribution of the number of parking spots lost.
