Macedon Ranges Shire Council is calling on Department of Transport for urgent traffic solutions for Woodend’s notorious Urquhart/High Street intersection.
Users of the intersection contend with main street congestion, a confusing layout with several turning points and high volumes of traffic accessing service hot spots including the Coles supermarket and train station.
More than four years have passed since the councillors first sought action from the department and the town is still awaiting answers.
At council’s meeting last week, Cr Janet Pearce gained support to write to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne.
The correspondence will outline ongoing daily safety concerns and request urgent written response on when a recommendation for treatment to the intersection will be made publicly available for community feedback.
Complaints about the intersection traffic had been persistent since Coles re-positioned itself at the busy corner in 2018.
Cr Pearce said the council registered early complaints with the department, and “after a few years of minimal response”, sought a meeting with Regional Roads Victoria in 2020.
A corridor study began shortly after, and during that time, the council heard several concerns from residents in nearby streets.
“The corridor study was completed, and we have since been waiting for a response,” Cr Pearce said.
“We have been told that they (the department) are still continuing work on it.”
Cr Pearce said an upgrade to address the intersection was estimated to be between $4 million and $7 million.
Works for the intersection were listed as a ‘medium-term’ project in the draft Woodend Integrated Transport Study in 2022. At that time, the council anticipated a four-to-seven year timeframe for the works.
The Urquhart/High Street intersection was the prime concern for respondents to the transport study, making up 37 per cent of the 67 submissions.
