HEAVY equipment was brought in to break ground at the intersection of Mitre, Suttor and Lambert streets on Wednesday.
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In one of the early steps of the project to realign the intersection and install a roundabout, crews got to work removing the traffic islands out the front of the Assumption School and the Suttor Street shops.
Crews have also cordoned off the car park adjacent to the tennis court.
The work came two days after it was scheduled to start, with Bathurst Regional Council telling residents that the removal of these islands would start on January 20.
The Western Advocate has approached council for comment on the reason behind the delays.
The delay has caused further frustration among residents and councillors, who were hoping more work would have been done by this point after the contractor, Talis Civil, arrived on site in late November.
Councillor Alex Christian said he thought crews would have wanted to utilise more of the summer school holidays than they have.
"I thought we would have been a bit further along by now, but that's a matter for the bureaucrats and the contractor," he said.
"... I am disappointed that this wasn't started earlier, I thought we would have been a few weeks in by now."
More significant works are expected to start at the intersection next week, after the Australia Day long weekend.
This will come around the same time as students return to school for the new year.
Cr Christian hopes there won't be too much disruption to motorists at this time.
"The timing is certainly not great, but we've been assured there will be minimal impacts on motorists, and that's why we picked Talis, because they could keep the roads open for as long as possible," he said.
Council has warned residents to expect some delays while crews work around the intersection to remove the islands.
The bus interchange in Mitre Street will be relocated to the front of Assumption Church.
Businesses and the nearby taxi rank remain open, however people may need to park in alternative spaces.
The taxi rank may relocate to the basketball stadium as works progress.
