Council passes buck on intersection upgrade

THE Toowoomba Regional Council has left the fate of a controversial road intersection upgrade in Harlaxton in the hands of the Queensland Government.

The Girffiths St intersection, which has been the cause of much controversy in the Harlaxton community. Picture: Contributed

THE Toowoomba Regional Council has left the fate of a controversial road intersection upgrade in Harlaxton in the hands of the Queensland Government.

The council yesterday voted to change the concept design of its planned upgrade of Griffiths St, adding right-turn lanes in certain areas following a backlash from residents in the area.

The proposal will add another heavy transport route to and from the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing in the north, which opens in late 2018.

But business owners in a shopping centre on the intersection of the New England Hwy and Griffiths St opposed concept designs that prevented shoppers from turning right onto Griffiths St.

Cr Carol Taylor said the design of the intersection would be left to the Department of Transport and Main Roads to determine, which included the shopping centre entry and exit.

"The resolution says that the work up at the intersection be deferred pending further negotiations with Transport and Main Roads," she said.

"That is actually their intersection, including the entry into the shopping centre.

"We've done as much as we can, but it is their responsibility and they'll need now to talk to those shop owners.

"It will allows us to get on with the rest of it."

CHANGES: Harlaxton business owner Debbie Smith has devised a map showing the impacts of the Toowoomba Regional Council's proposed changes to Griffiths St. Picture: Contributed

Among the complaints put forward by Foodworks co-owner Debbie Smith, via petitions and public meetings, was that traffic forced to exit left from the shopping centre would be diverted through Coonan St.

Cr Taylor disputed that claim, and said safety audits during the design process raised serious issues over the intersection in its current form.

"We appreciate the community's input, but modelling has been done and I guess they're saying that every car that goes in there and has to turn out to the left will come back around Coonan St, but they're not," she said.

"Some will go back out to Highfields or elsewhere.

"We need to get on with the design to do that, and the whole road has to be finished at the end of next year with the TSRC.

"Two independent safety audits have thrown up questions about the safety of that intersection, with the right turn in and out."

Final designs for Griffiths St and a massive new roundabout to the west are still to be completed.

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Originally published as Council passes buck on intersection upgrade