THE Albury Council is banking on a starting date being set tomorrow for long-awaited works to end the traffic snarl at the Young Street-Borella Road intersection.
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The council will meet NSW Roads and Maritime Services senior management, with an upgrade allowing a second right-hand-turn lane from Young Street into Borella Road high on the agenda.
The deputy mayor and former local traffic committee chairman, Henk van de Ven, raised the issue again this week.
Cr van de Ven, whose business is on the corner of Young and Wilson streets, has seen traffic banked up for more than 200 metres.
“I would like someone to explain why there is this continual delay in implementing something that was tested 18 months ago,” he said.
The council’s engineering director Brad Ferris said the RMS meeting would be held this week when “we are hoping to get some finite start times”.
“We’ve provided quotations for the works and they have finished designs as far as the signalling is concerned,” he said.
“We should get a positive response on Thursday.”
The RMS approved changes to the intersection in November.
The intersection already has a right-turn lane from Young Street into Borella Road.
But motorists will also be able to turn right from the centre lane, making access to the freeway and East Albury quicker and easier.
Cr Graham Docksey replaced Cr van de Ven as traffic committee chairman in September.
“It seems to me whenever I raise this issue, further meetings to have further discussions are being held,” Cr van de Ven said.
“From my perspective, I sit every day at work and occasionally look out the window and notice traffic banked up waiting to turn right into Borella Road.
“It is not just something I have been passionate about, but it is about the fact 18 months ago we did the trials.
“It was proved to be feasible and all they have done in the meantime is delay, delay, delay.
“I am over it.”