The corner of Wiltshire Lane and La Trobe Street was the scene of heavy traffic congestion on Wednesday morning, after lights were turned on at the recently upgraded intersection.
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The upgrade replaced the existing roundabout with traffic lights and dedicated turning lanes. Bike box line markings were also added to improve rider safety.
Centre medians were extended, dedicated U-turn areas were added and new lighting was installed at the intersection to improve visibility. As of Wednesday afternoon, lane closures remain in place.
Libby Allen, who works at a business on Wiltshire Lane, nearby the intersection, said cars were backed up on Tuesday afternoon, complicating her drive home.
"It probably took me three times as long to get through the light to turn left than it would have if it was just a roundabout," she said.
"The cars were just banked back, it was the same this (Wednesday) morning coming from the opposite direction."
Ms Allen said she hoped the congestion was the result of lanes still being closed on the road.
Elsewhere, The Courier has heard reports of an extra 30 minutes travel for people looking to use the intersection on their morning commute.
In a survey conducted by The Courier in November 22, 2022, it took 23.29 minutes to travel from Delacombe Town Centre to Ballarat Town Hall using Wiltshire Lane. Detours were in place due to roadworks at the time.
An earlier trip on April 22, without detours in place, took 17 minutes.
The activation of the intersection's traffic lights marks completion of works at five of the Keeping Ballarat Moving project sites, and the last traffic light activation as part of the project.
Traffic lights are already working at Gillies Street and Gregory Street West in Wendouree, Albert Street and Hertford Street in Sebastopol, the Midland Highway and Docwra Street in Magpie, and the Glenelg Highway and Wiltshire Lane in Delacombe.
The $60 million project by Regional Roads Victoria began in late-2020 and looked to upgrade and add lights to six major intersections across the city.
Regional Roads Victoria estimates about 20,000 drivers use the La Trobe Street intersection each day, with 1200 vehicles per hour during peak times.
While major construction has been completed, some remaining works, including landscaping, public lighting and site clean-up will be undertaken across the coming months with minor disruptions expected.
Minor works are continuing at Albert and Hertford streets, Albert and Dowcra streets and the Glenelg Highway and Wiltshire Lane.
