AN UPGRADE to improve safety at the Midland Highway and Howard Street intersection in Epsom has been welcomed by a community road safety group.
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National Retail Group (NRG Property) lodged strategic plans this month with the City of Greater Bendigo and are hopeful the plans will be approved by councillors in the next council meeting.
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Coordinator of the Epsom Road Safety Group Kelly Durie said she along with others were "happy" with the proposed plans.
"We have been fortunate in this case where the developers have listened and heard the community," she said.
"The objections I did have, they addressed most of them around vehicle movements and transport infrastructure around the development.
"We have been fortunate that the developers have taken on board the concerns we had with the intersection and not only agreed to provide the changes to the road but they will also fund the changes to put the extra lanes in.
"This is a massive win for everyone involved."
The $18 million proposed works include $3 million for an upgrade to the Midland Highway and Howard Street intersection, which has been labelled dangerous by local residents.
The plans come following a spate of accidents at the intersection, one of which that involved two primary school-aged children.
Back in September, the Howard Street-Midland Highway intersection was included at number 10 on a list of roads that have perceived road safety issues in a RACV survey.
NRG Director Michael Spektor said the reimagined plans respond to community needs and represent an update to the previously approved planning application from 2017.
Changes to the plans over the past year of consultation included moving the centre back six metres from the footpath to create a buffer between the road at the request of council and VicRoads.
Mr Spektor said the intersection upgrades had already been provisionally approved by VicRoads and would include dedicated left and right turning lanes, a bike lane and two through traffic lanes in either direction of Midland Highway.
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Howard Street would also be widened with more lanes, and all existing traffic signals would be replaced with new lights and a sequence aimed at improving safety in the area.
Ms Durie said after many discussions with the developers, she was confident her concerns were heard.
"Because this is privately funded, we are now going to see changes to the intersection many years earlier than what we originally thought," she said.
"There has been a significant turnaround from where we were below and I hope the plans do get up in council now."
If approved, NRG estimates more than 120 local construction jobs would come out of the project, and more than 100 people could find permanent work in the new proposed retailers and other facilities.
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