Four draft options for Orange intersection after Crs Glenn Taylor and Jeff Whitton raise residents' concerns

The drawings will be presented to Tuesday night's Orange City Council meeting after Cr Glenn Taylor and Cr Jeff Whitton requested council investigate the feasibility, cost and funding options for the construction of a roundabout at the intersection, in February this year.

Cr Whitton said he and Cr Taylor made the request after numerous discussions with residents in north Orange.

READ MORE: Jay Harvey sentenced to jail after being convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm

"We really want to know what the council has planned for this intersection - we've got to face facts, that intersection is a nightmare and it's got to be dealt with," he said.

He added that while the four draft options for a roundabout at the intersection were working towards a multi-million dollar long-term solution, he and Cr Taylor wondered if there was a short-term option that would help ease congestion at the intersection at peak times.

Initially Cr Whitton explained, council had refused the McDonald's development application on traffic grounds but it was overturned by the the Land and Environment Court.

READ MORE: Community at the heart of Wentworth rebuild says Orange Ex-Services' president Graham Gentles

At the time, the NDR was an 80km/h road.

"Council was restricted on the building of egress and ingress lanes but an egress to Bunnings to the Northern Distributor has since been built as part of its development," Cr Whitton said.

"So Bunnings has created a precedent where the original policy about ingress and egress on and off the Distributor is pretty much out the door."

READ MORE: Councillor Sam Romano announces he won't stand for re-election in December's local government elections

With that in mind, Cr Whitton suggested traffic leaving McDonald's directly onto the NDR could perhaps be a short-term solution to congestion.

"I think the spirit of what Glenn and I asked for is what can be done more immediately, what can we do to make life easier for residents [of north Orange]."

Of the four options for a roundabout, three require the acquisition of land and will take parking spaces away from the McDonald's and Woolworths' carparks and need the removal of trees. One also features a second smaller roundabout at Farrell Road with the main roundabout moved east of the intersection. Costs vary between $5m to $10m.

While the draft options provide an insight into the long-term strategy for the intersection, Cr Whitton said roundabouts were not pedestrian-friendly meaning an underpass or overpass would have to be part of the plan for pedestrian access from south of the NDR.

"There needs to be a plan for this intersection, there's no two ways about it," he said adding the next debate would be pedestrian access from south of the NDR to the north side.

"Any outcome for that intersection is going to cost money but for safety it has to be done," Cr Whitton said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

HAVE YOUR SAY

Send a letter to the editor using the form below