CONSTRUCTION work at one of the city's most contentious intersections is just days away, with contractors mobilising on site in preparation for work on a new roundabout at the intersection of Suttor, Mitre and Lambert streets.
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The roundabout is being built in response to community concerns and feedback about safety issues at the intersection, following a crash almost three years to the day where a car careered across the footpath near the Assumption School, just minutes after children had been walking along the path.
West Bathurst residents, Dianne and Kent McNab have been pushing for the construction of a roundabout ever since the crash, garnering community support along the way which included over 5,000 signatures from near-by residents also expressing their concern about the intersection.
Mayor of Bathurst, Cr Bobby Bourke, said the construction process will be both complex and lengthy due to the design of the intersection and the number of underground services in the area.
It is envisaged it will take approximately nine months to complete.
Bernard Drum, manager, tech services at Bathurst Regional Council said work is expected to begin next week, with traffic controls in place for the initial period.
When the school term ends mid December, Mr Drum said Lambert Street will be closed for the duration of the school holidays while work continues.
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Lambert street will then re-open again in late January when school resumes as staged work continues in the area.
Mr Drum said there will be periodic closures of the street during this period, with the work to be completed within "six to nine months."
Cr Bobby Bourke said the roundabout "had been a long time coming" and "was long overdue."
"There's been a lot of discussions through council and a lot of whinging, to see the site set up ready to go I think will relive a lot of tension for a lot of people.
"Councillor Christian has been very supportive of it and the McNabs have done a fine job whinging about it," he said.
Cr Alex Christian said the roundabout was "a great example of council listening to the concerns of its constituents" after it was presented with a petition of over 5,000 signatures in support of the roundabout.
Kent and Dianne McNab said they were excited to see construction about to begin, and continued their fight for the roundabout because it was an issue that was important to the community.
The couple said they have had concerns about the intersection for 22 years.
"Back then we were both working and had young children, we just didn't have the time. Now we're retired we took up the fight for others.
"This was always about the safety of school children and we were committed and determined to get it done."
They said they pushed for a roundabout because every engineer who had looked at the intersection had recommended a roundabout as the best option.