Numerous accidents and deaths at the intersection of Ballina Road and the Bruxner Highway at Alstonville have led to the announcement that work on the intersection to improve safety will begin on Monday October 29.
Work was completed earlier in the year to increase the length of the eastbound merging lane from Ballina Road onto the Bruxner Highway. This further work will see the Bruxner Highway widened to provide greater separation for through traffic from motorists turning left into Ballina Road.
The government is working closely with Ballina Shire Council to look at other options to improve safety.
‘A high proportion of the serious crashes at this intersection have occurred in the afternoon, Roads and Maritime Services is also working closely with Ballina Shire Council and NSW Police to determine if a ban on motorists turning right out of Ballina Road on to the Bruxner Highway in the late afternoons should be trialled,’ said Nationals Parliamentary Secretary for Northern NSW Ben Franklin.
Work on the intersection is expected to be completed before Christmas, weather permitting. Roads and Maritime will monitor the safety of the intersection and continue to examine options to further improve safety at this intersection, including longer term solutions.
Not fit for service
However, local MP for Ballina says that the current approach doesn’t deal with the real problems motorists face at the intersection.
‘I welcome anything that will make the intersection safer,’ said Ms Smith.
‘However these measures are a band-aid for the real problem, which is that the intersection is not fit for purpose.
‘A full interchange should have been built in the first place and it is what motorists need to ensure greater safety.
‘I recently surveyed residents of Alstonville and Wollongbar and nearby localities and the response has been that people feel unsafe at that intersection and they want an interchange with overpasses and underpasses.
‘I also recently met with Ballina Shire Local Traffic Committee where a full interchange was deemed the gold standard in terms of safety.
‘The Minister for Roads said that cost would not be a factor in making this stretch of road safer. She owes it to the families of the motorists who have died at this intersection to follow through and give everyone who uses this section of highway the safest option – a full interchange,’ said Ms Smith.
The survey is available to take online.
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