The gateway to one of the fastest growing residential areas in the state is set to receive a welcome upgrade in the new year.
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Orange City Council has awarded the tender to construct the new $5 million roundabout at the corner of William Maker Drive and the Northern Distributor Road (NDR), with Hill Street to be realigned to meet at the new intersection.
William Maker Drive is one of North Orange's main arterial roads and Orange mayor Cr Reg Kidd welcomed the latest milestone of the project in a booming area of the city.
He added the scale of the work was monumental, too, with the size of the roundabout to be similar to the dual-lane intersection of Molong Road and the NDR.
"It's great to reach this stage of the project, which will be one of Orange's biggest roundabouts," Cr Reg Kidd said.
"It's expected traffic flow improvements will include a significant reduction in current waiting times for drivers in Hill Street entering the bypass."
Work on the project, which was awarded to Hamcon Civil Pty Ltd and is being supported by $2.35 million from the NSW Government's Resources for Regions program, will be completed towards the end of 2020.
The remainder of the funding for the roundabout will come from Orange City Council and industry contributions.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the project would increase productivity for industry while also making the route safer for other road users.
"I look forward to seeing the project take shape in the new year," Mr Toole said.
It's great to reach this stage of the project, which will be one of Orange's biggest roundabouts
- Orange mayor Reg Kidd
Council's infrastructure committee chair, Cr Jeff Whitton said there will be a lot of planning before the project begins to minimise the impact of the construction phase.
Cr Whitton said work on the new roundabout will be staged but the bulk of the work will be located in an area on the southern side of the bypass, allowing traffic in William Maker Drive and the NDR to continue uninterrupted.
"Then once the first stage is finished, traffic will be switched onto the new roundabout while the remainder is completed," he added.
Due to the re-alignment of Hill Street, the project will also include an upgrade to the bluestone gates at the entrance to the Botanic Gardens car park.
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