Whanganui intersection upgrade at Victoria Ave and Glasgow St to begin

Work will start on the intersection of Victoria Ave and Glasgow St on Monday. Photo / File

A planned upgrade to the traffic signals at the intersection of Victoria Ave and Glasgow St will begin on Monday.

Whanganui District Council senior roading engineer Brent Holmes said the traffic signal equipment at the intersection was out of date and they were no longer able to obtain parts to maintain them.

"In addition the intersection provides limited pedestrian protection at the crossing points, and considering Whanganui's recent and future growth, this is no longer acceptable.

"It also has the highest number of crashes for a signalised intersection in Whanganui."

Work on the signal replacement will begin with drilling of new cable ducts under the approaches to the intersection. Some work will take place at night to reduce disruption.

"We will keep the existing traffic signals operating as long as possible while undertaking the preliminary works."

In early March, a temporary roundabout will be installed and the old signals removed.

While the temporary roundabout is in place, there will be pedestrian refuges in the centre of each of the intersection's approaches.

"The upgrade will significantly improve the intersection's safety for motorists and pedestrians," Holmes said.

"As well as changes to the intersection layout, the traffic signals will include the latest software technology allowing the traffic signal cycle and phase times to adjust automatically to traffic volumes.

"During the intersection upgrade, we recommend that freight trucks to the nearby supermarkets approach from [SH3] London St, rather than Victoria Ave," Holmes said.

Work on the intersection is expected to be finished by the end of March.