Last chance to have your say on highway upgrade at Lismore
In 2019, the government committed $6 million to upgrade Ballina Road at Dawson Street, but technical assessments found it would be better to upgrade the Molesworth Street intersection to traffic signals instead.
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Today is the last chance for residents and users of the Bruxner Highway to provide feedback on a possible upgrade of the road in Lismore.
The move will deliver downtown Lismore’s second set of traffic lights.
A possible upgrade of the Bruxner Highway at Dawson Street in Lismore to reduce congestion and improve safety and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists will instead focus on highway’s Molesworth Street intersection using traffic signals.
In 2019, the NSW Government committed $6 million to upgrade Ballina Road at Dawson Street, but technical assessments found the best way to reduce congestion and improve safety was to upgrade the Molesworth Street intersection to traffic signals instead.
The project is currently on public exhibition.
According to Transport for NSW documents, the main benefit of this design compared to other options considered was the minimum impact on Lismore’s Heritage Park.
“(This design) includes no impacts to Heritage Park, maintaining the existing fence between Heritage Park and the road, the removal of fewer car parks and reduced costs due to avoiding the retaining wall on the bridge,” the documents state.
“The project team recognises the importance of Heritage Park to the community and has modified the concept design to avoid any impact to the new post and rail fence and footpath between Heritage Park and the road.
“Signalising this intersection improves traffic efficiency and provides safety benefits to pedestrians, as well as the advantage of providing gaps in westbound highway traffic, which should help to improve the efficiency of the Union Street roundabout.”
Lismore MP Janelle Saffin said people remembered the election commitment to spend $6 million on traffic lights and improvements to the Bruxner Highway-Dawson Street intersection.
“Transport for NSW and Lismore City Council have carried out investigations and traffic modelling, and now the Transport recommendation is that this upgrade should occur at the Bruxner Highway-Molesworth Street intersection,” Ms Saffin said.
“I have been in a continued conversation with NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole’s office and Transport for NSW on this issue, and while it’s good that there is finally some movement, we, as a community of stakeholders, still need to be persuaded.
“All those residents living on the southern side of the highway, in the Girards Hill area, were very keen on the Dawson Street project, so they have to be convinced that Molesworth Street will provide the best long-term solution.”
Community members and stakeholders are encouraged to send their submissions on the proposed improvements by completing the online survey at yoursay.transport.nsw.gov.au/molesworth, via email to region.north@transport.nsw.gov.au or by post to Molesworth Street Upgrade Project Team, Transport for NSW, PO Box 576, Grafton NSW 2460 by August 6.
For further information about the proposal, including a design layout, go to https://nswroads.work/molesworthstreet
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