Banna Avenue-Crossing Street roundabout roadworks.
LONG delays, confusing lane closures and at least one accident have left Griffith drivers fed-up with reconstruction works at a CBD roundabout.
Roadwork at the Banna Avenue-Crossing Street roundabout has caused mayhem during school drop-off and pick-up times with traffic often banked back as far as Wakaden Street during the week.
About 9am last Monday morning, a prime mover loaded with a container of wine sideswiped a Commodore as the truck driver navigated the changed roundabout conditions.
The truck driver escaped with a suspected broken arm and the car was badly damaged.
Local taxi driver Ian Favero said he had encountered long delays and at least one near-miss at the site, which he believed needed better signage.
He warned people to take care when entering the roundabout, recalling a driver was forced to bring his car to a sudden halt in front of him to avoid running into the barricade recently.
“I think they should have put more signage up telling people to merge because the lane ends,” Mr Favero said.
“It does become a bit of a bottleneck, especially during peak hour like school times, or after work it does get quite congested.
“People need to take a little bit of extra care.”
But council road safety officer Greg Balind said it should all be complete within the next few weeks.
“I can understand the frustration but hopefully drivers will be extra vigilant around the roadwork,” Mr Balind said.
“Once the construction is complete, it will be a good intersection capable of handling the traffic which is becoming increasingly busier.
“It’s a short-term inconvenience for long-term benefit.”
He said progress was “rolling forward” and, all things permitting, the roadwork could be finished as early as the end of next week.
Mr Balind said once the slip lane was removed, the dynamics of the north-west corner of the roundabout changed and work had to be undertaken to create a more direct travel path around the corner.
Recent lane closures were necessary to add ramps to the central median strip, designed to make crossing easier for people with prams and shopping trolleys.