State Government does a U-turn on road closure as part of Rothwell roundabout upgrade

TEN months ago, this road was closed to the dismay of residents who argued against it. Now, in a stunning U-turn, the State Government says it will reopen.

McGahey St, Rothwell, will reopen as part of the upgrade at the Rothwell Roundabout. Picture: Bradley Cooper

TEN months ago, this road was closed to the dismay of residents who argued against it. Now, in a stunning U-turn, the State Government says it will reopen.

McGahey St at Rothwell, north of Brisbane, was turned into a cul-de-sac in August last year as part of works to upgrade the notorious Rothwell roundabout to a signalised intersection.

Last year, a Transport and Main Roads spokesman said the decision had been made to “improve the safety, efficiency and capacity” of the intersection.

Residents were not happy, raising concerns about getting out of the street when it flooded, impacts on the businesses in the street and access to the shopping centre.

Ten months after the road was closed, state Labor MP for Murrumba Chris Whiting said he had responded to community concerns.

“The design for the Rothwell Intersection Upgrade has been modified to provide motorists with access to and from McGahey St to the new signalised intersection via a left-in-left-out only facility,” Mr Whiting said.

“The change to the design followed feedback from the community and key stakeholders and provides improved­ connectivity for motorists and the local community.”

Mr Whiting said the modified design addressed previous safety concerns.

McGahey St, Rothwell, will reopen as part of the upgrade at the Rothwell Roundabout. Picture: Bradley Cooper

Raised pedestrian crossings will also be installed at McGahey St and near the shopping centre.

McGahey St resident Les Burr said they had just started to get used to their new quiet street, which was previously used as a rat run to avoid traffic lights along Deception­ Bay Rd.

“I don’t think it will be as (busy) as it was as (the street) can only be accessed by traffic from North Lakes,” Mr Burr said.

He said opening the street back up would help during a flood and improve access to the shopping centre. Mr Burr said he would have liked more consultation about the project and plans to reopen the street.

Mr Whiting said the street would reopen when the intersection­ was completed in “late 2017”.

The next stage of the upgrade­ is due to start in August­. Mr Whiting said this would involve another traffic switch and a change to the roundabout configuration.

He said the McGahey St redesign had not added to the project’s $37.5 million cost. The State Government contributed $22.6 million to the project, the Federal Government $11.7 million and Moreton Bay Regional Council $3.2 million.