A PEDESTRIAN crossing at a dangerous Shoal Bay intersection is one of four projects Port Stephens Council will soon start in the name of safety.
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A set of traffic lights will help residents and holiday makers alike at the corner of Shoal Bay and Government roads.
The project has received $1.3 million from the Black Spot program and has benefited from extensive community input.
Harbourside Haven nursing home residents Barry Roberts and Peter Drummond both rely on mobility scooters.
“We’re up here daily,” Mr Roberts said.
“We’ve seen quite a few near misses.”
Sometimes its for a coffee, lunch or an evening beer.
“After a career in the Canberra police I spoke strongly in favour of the lights,” Mr Drummon said.
“But it’s not just for us, the number of parents with prams or children on pushbikes is a concern too particularly at Christmas.”
Heavy construction isn’t expected to start until after Easter while preliminary works will include the removal of coral trees.
The road will be realigned so trucks can safely turn left out of Shoal Bay Road onto Government Road.
The redesigned intersection will include two points for pedestrians to cross at. A third crossing point with raised roadway will be built on Shoal Bay Road at the shops.
The council will start two more Black Spot projects in the 2016-17 financial year.
The federal government has provided $460,000 to widen the shoulder of Clarence Town Road at Glen Oak and install a safety barrier.
A further $245,000 will help build an acceleration lane at Salamander Bay, and improve intersection line marking, at the intersection of Salamander Way and Town Centre Circuit.
The state government has funded the fourth project, for Tanilba Bay, under the Safer Roads Program. A roundabout will be build at the intersection of Avenue of the Allies and Lemon Tree Passage Road.
The council’s civil projects engineer Rick Mackenzie said the programs aim to improve identified problem areas with targeted safety upgrades.
"Council works closely with the Roads and Maritime Service (RMS) and local police to identify recurring themes in traffic incidents as well as investigating how infrastructure improvements can meet the needs of the community,” he said.
"Our team has worked hard to develop applications and design treatments, all aimed at improving public safety.”
More information on these projects is available on the Nation Building Program website at www.nationbuildingprogram.gov.au.
