THE new look junction on the Dublin Road has left some drivers scratching their heads.
The £700,000 road widening and improvement scheme had introduced an additional traffic lane out of town on the A4 Dublin Road, widening it by 300 metres from the Masonic Hall to the Council’s playing fields. An additional lane was also created into town on A32 Wickham Link, a stretch of 110 metres.
The roadworks, which had been due to be finished in March, had proved a nightmare for motorists who were often left frustrated by three mile tailbacks stretching from the Model School as far out as Tamlaght.
One local who uses the route regularly has blasted the change as a “dangerous disaster”.
“Yet another mess has been made at the Castle Coole end of town by widening the Tempo Road to accommodate our vast amount of bicycle users, making it even worse again.
“It’s a disaster and an accident waiting to happen. After all the time and money spent on this work, it’s certainly not fit for purpose.”
The reader, who did not wish to be named, added: “The traffic lane on the Tempo Road where the Westville Hotel is situated – is that one lane or two? If it’s two then it needs to be marked out again because drivers don’t know what’s going on there and just sit in the middle of the road.
The irate driver added: “The traffic lights at all the aforementioned areas are too far back from the road making it extremely difficult for disabled users on their mobility scooters to manoeuvre around and if someone is partially sighted then it’s almost impossible.”
A Department for Infrastructure (DfI) spokesman has this advice for motorists: “Road markings will soon be completed and warning signage confirming a new road layout ahead will be provided on all approaches. Motorists are advised to approach this new layout with due care and attention until they familiarise themselves with the new road layout.
“The Department will continue to monitor driver behaviour at the site over the next few weeks to consider if any additional road markings or signage are required,” he added.
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