The safety improvement upgrade at the M1 Motorway Ourimbah Interchange is almost complete, with new traffic lights activated on Wednesday, February 7.
The $5.4M upgrade, funded through the State Government’s Network Efficiency Program, has provided a range of safety improvements at the site.
There is still some work left to do including concrete grooving – a method to reduce noise coming from the road surface – and some minor finishing works.
Remaining work is scheduled for early March, weather permitting.
Minister for Central Coast and Member for Wyong David Harris said the upgrade was part of the Government’s commitment to delivering better and safer roads in the region.
“The Ourimbah interchange is one of the busiest on the Coast and it’s great to reach this key milestone in the major upgrade,” he said.
“We are committed to working with all levels of government to improve the quality of roads on the Coast and this is a great step in the right direction.”
Member for The Entrance David Mehan said the upgrade had involved widening the southbound and northbound exit ramps, line marking, asphalting, installing safety barriers, vegetation removal, utility and pavement drainage adjustments, and now the installation of traffic signals.
“The project also provided a welcome boost to the local economy by supporting up to 50 direct and indirect jobs during construction,” he said.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said the upgrade would benefit about 30,000 motorists who used the interchange daily to travel to and from and around the Central Coast.
“Once completed, this upgrade will help ensure all road users experience the safest and smoothest journeys possible,” she said.
All I can envisage is traffic now banking up and blocking the other roundabout causing new traffic snarls.
These lights help during peak hour but CAUSES congestion during the rest of the day. It forces both roundabouts to stop flowing to let one car through who could have found their gap. I can understand the lights being useful during morning/evening rush hour, but they should be off for the rest of the day.