Leongatha truck bypass may delay traffic
TRAFFIC may bank up at a major intersection in Leongatha once the $5.1 million heavy vehicle alternate route is built.
The final design for the route was released last Wednesday by VicRoads and South Gippsland Shire Council.
The route aims to divert about 600 heavy vehicles from Bair Street every day, allowing a redevelopment of the commercial strip.
Traffic entering Long Street at Roughead Street will now have to give way to oncoming traffic, despite the original route proposing the opposite.
VicRoads engineers felt the camber in Long Street near the intersection would risk trucks rolling over into nearby shops, should they drive at speed around the corner.
While a right turning lane will be built in Roughead Street to accommodate turning traffic, the lane is only long enough to accommodate a B-double truck and five cars.
Additional vehicles would be forced to wait in the traffic lane, blocking the road.
But VicRoads engineer Henry Lam believed that scenario would be rare.
“It will be no more different to what it is now,” he said.
Council’s manager of strategic planning and development Paul Stampton said a give way sign at the courthouse intersection would stem the flow of traffic entering the vicinity from McCartin Street, thereby reducing the likelihood of traffic banking up.
He said there was inadequate space between Westaway Ford and Edney’s Nissan to install a second traffic lane.
Cr Nigel Hutchinson-Brooks said, “The only really bad times will be Friday night and long weekends, and there will be frustrations but you can’t design for no frustrations.
“What I would do is go down Peart Street and Allison Street to avoid that.”
Changes to the Long-Roughead streets intersection are likely in the long term.
“At the moment, the intersection functions without traffic lights but either way, be that some time in the future, possibly in 20 years, there could be traffic lights there,” Mr Stampton said.
Vegetation will be cleared or trimmed at Centenary Park to allow adequate site distance. Railway points will be moved to minimise traffic delays at the crossing.
Traffic lights will be installed at the intersection of Ogilvy and Long streets, and Koonwarra Road. Pedestrians will be able to cross more safely with extended footpaths and crossing points at the traffic lights.
“This intersection has been made very safe at considerable cost to the project. School children will be able to cross much more safely,” Mr Stampton said.
U-turns will be permitted at the junction of Long and Ogilvy streets to enable vehicles access to the Salvation Army complex.
Traffic leaving Hughes Street will only be able to turn left into Roughead Street, to improve safety.
Traffic leaving A’Beckett and Jeffery streets will still be unable to turn right into Long Street, as per the original design. Vehicles travelling along Long Street will be able turn right into the Leongatha railway station and V/Line bus stop.
A three metre wide path will be built along Long Street from the Ogilvy Street intersection to just past Jeffrey Street, linking with the path to Bennett Lane. That lane joins the railway station with Roughead Street.
VicRoads will advertise construction contracts by the middle of this year, with works to start by later this year. The route is expected to be finished by the middle of 2016.
The route will then pave the way for a redevelopment of Bair Street.
“Council has entered into a streetscape project that we will be briefing the public about in the next few months,” Mr Stampton said.
“We want to make it easier for people to park there and give it a more pedestrian friendly feel to make Bair Street more attractive for people to shop, particularly on the railway side of the street.”
Taking shape: inspecting the final design for the Leongatha heavy vehicle alternate route on Wednesday were, from left, South Gippsland Shire Council deputy mayor Cr Nigel Hutchinson-Brooks, mayor Cr Jeanette Harding, manager of strategic planning and development Paul Stampton, and VicRoads senior project engineer Ben Kennedy.
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Mar 31 2015. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
