Greater Shepparton City Council is seeking input from local businesses and road users to inform the preparation of the next stages of the Welsford Street upgrade.
Council is set to continue works to cater for Welsford Street's role as a busy north-south arterial road, which seeks to improve traffic flow, safety and amenity for vehicles and pedestrians.
Council has commissioned Stantec Australia Pty Ltd to prepare the concept designs for the last stages of the upgrade, Stages 5 and 6, which will see the road upgraded south of the Fryers Street intersection to the intersection of Wyndham and Sobraon Streets. Any concept designs will improve safety for vehicles and pedestrians that utilise Welsford Street, all while improving road capacity and access to Victoria Park Lake via Tom Collins Drive.
"Council will undertake pre-draft consultation with stakeholders and landowners along Welsford Street to identify all issues and opportunities involved in upgrading Welsford Street," Director Sustainable Development Geraldine Christou said.
Pre-draft consultation will take place from today, Monday 25 July and close on Friday 26 August 2022, with details available on Council's Shaping Greater Shepp website. Any input and feedback received will help inform the preparation of draft concept designs and cost estimates for Stages 5 and 6 for Welsford Street.
"Council will then conduct further draft consultation to refine the designs which will inform Council's future work program for ultimate construction of these stages," Mrs Christou said.
Council recently began pre-construction of Stage 4 of the Welsford Street upgrade, which will see the intersections at Fryers/Welsford Streets and Fryers/Marungi Streets reconfigured to improve traffic flow. Stage 4 received a grant from the Australian Government's Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, which will fund 50 per cent of the expected $2.89 million cost of the project. Construction is expected to begin in late 2022 and is expected to take three to four months to complete.
The Welsford Street upgrade is a key outcome of the Shepparton CBD Strategy 2008, which seeks to improve access to the CBD by reducing through traffic and redirecting freight and non-local traffic onto alternative routes. The upgrade will require six stages that aim to gradually improve the amenity of the Shepparton CBD by relocating non-local and heavy traffic to Welsford Street, and creating a safer and more pedestrian attractive environment on Wyndham Street. Stages 1, 2 and 3 between Knight Street and Nixon Street are now complete.
"The continued upgrade of Welsford Street will greatly increase road capacity while improving safety and amenity within the Shepparton CBD," Mrs Christou said.
"The upgrade will assist in redirecting freight and heavy vehicles out of the CBD, and improve amenity for pedestrians and retailers. I encourage local stakeholders to have their say on the proposed upgrades."
Information about the Welsford Street upgrade can be found on our website.
Feedback on the Welsford Street Upgrade Stages 5 and 6 can beCouncil's Shaping Greater Shepp website Shaping Greater Shepparton from Monday 25 July until Friday 26 August 2022.
