The state government is looking to future proof major intersections and roads in Ballarat’s growth zone, in a multi-million dollar election promise.
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Premier Daniel Andrews announced $58.6 million to fix nine trouble spots and intersections in Ballarat if re-elected, rolling into town on the Labor campaign bus.
Traffic lights will replace the roundabout at the corner of Learmonth and Latrobe streets, and the major roundabout next to Delacombe Town Centre on the Glenelg Highway and Cherry Flat Road.
A two lane roundabout will be created at the corner of Dyson Drive and Ballarat-Carngham Road, a necessary facet of City of Ballarat’s plan to convert Dyson Drive into the major Ballarat Link Road between highways.
Albert Street in Sebastopol will be widened from two to four lanes, with traffic lights installed at Hertford Street.
Roads and road safety minister Luke Donnellan told The Courier the state government is currently assessing the business case for the Ballarat Link Road, but it wouldn’t be until after the November election that it returned to his desk for funding consideration.
“We’re still working through that, but we want to make sure that in terms of the business case it actually stacks up, so that work is happening at the moment,” he said. “Obviously we’re going into caretaker period at the moment, we’ve got a period of time where we won’t be looking at the business case, the public servants will be doing the work, but we’ve got to be re-elected before we actually look at it again.”
The Ballarat Link Road is one of Ballarat’s major election asks.
Ballarat’s centre will also receive some road treatments, with traffic lights will be installed at the corner of Gillies and Gregory streets. Another set will be placed next to Victoria Park at the corner of Sturt, Morrison and Russell streets.
The corner of Docwra Street and the Midland Highway will now have a roundabout and upgraded school crossing, in order to reduce safety fears for children from the nearby Magpie Primary School.
“There’s always more that has to be done particularly in terms of road safety, and making sure our kids – as schools grow and as communities grow with extra traffic – can get in and out of school as safely as possible,” Andrews said on Friday.