Rubber is the new black when it comes to road safety, and on Thursday the Tweed Shire will install its first rubber roundabout.
The rubber roundabout, which is cheaper than a traditional construction and can be built in just one day, has arrived from Victoria in segments on the back of a truck and will be installed at the intersection of Bilambil Road / Scenic Drive and McAllisters Road / Simpson Drive.
On Wednesday night, Council workers will linemark the road in preparation for contractors to install the six-metre-round roundabout the next day. Once the roundabout segments are fixed to the road, Council will then install the medians and signage and infill the centre of the roundabout with cold-mix asphalt.
The whole job will cost about $25,000.
‘Council has received many representations from the community over the potential crash risk at the intersection due to the limited sight distance of vehicles coming up Bilambil Road from the village,’ says council’s Danny Rose. ‘The roundabout will require all approaching traffic streams to give way at the intersection and only enter when it is safe to do so.’
In comparison, traditional concrete roundabouts take many months to construct and cost much more. The roundabout at the intersection of Terranora Road and Fraser Drive, Terranora, cost $800,000 due to significant height and water issues during construction and the one at the corner of Gollan and Lakes drives, Tweed Heads West, cost $223,000.
Both the Fraser and Gollan drive roundabouts were funded by the Federal Government under its Black Spot Program. This intersection at Bilambil Road / Scenic Drive and McAllisters Road / Simpson Drive, however, does not have a significant enough crash history to allow an application for funding under the Black Spot Program but nevertheless does require traffic calming measures to be put in place.
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