Health precinct intersection upgrades - Wagga Wagga

Transport has finished the upgrade of two of Wagga’s Wagga’s busiest intersections on the Sturt Highway.

The upgrades improve safety and traffic efficiency in the health precinct area which includes the city’s two hospitals and supporting specialist facilities.

Other key benefits to the project include better accessibility in and around the health precinct, and improved connectivity with the city’s broader transport network.

Stage 1 of the project involved road resurfacing and the installation of traffic lights at the highway intersection (Edward Street) with Murray Street. This was completed on 5 April when the Murray Street intersection lights were turned on.

Stage 2 was the reconfiguration of lanes at the highway’s Docker Street intersection. This includes new dedicated right turning lanes.

We finished this stage with final linemarking on 25 May, marking the completion of the three-month project.

Transport thanks the community for its patience and understanding while this important project was completed.

Work on the project's second stage is planned to start on Monday 8 May 2023, weather permitting.

Stage 2 is the reconfiguration of lanes at the Sturt Highway's Docker Street intersection in Wagga Wagga.

Motorists are advised of changed traffic conditions at the intersection. Lane closures and detours will be introduced for road resurfacing and the installation of new turning lanes.

To limit impacts on transport customers, work will be carried out at night from 6pm to 4am weekdays for about four weeks, weather permitting.

There will be no night work on weekends and public holidays. Work required on weekends will be carried out between 7.30am and 5pm.

Traffic control and a reduced speed limit of 40 km/h will be in place during work hours for the safety of workers and motorists.

A detour will be in place at various times during work hours along Docker Street. Traffic will be diverted along Morgan Street, Murray Street and Brookong Avenue.

Local traffic will be assisted through the detour by traffic control. Motorists are advised to drive to the conditions and follow the directions of signs and traffic control.

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Docker St extended detour via Morgan St, Murray St and Brookong Ave.

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Stage 1 of the project is complete with the installation and turning on of traffic lights at the Sturt Highway intersection (Edward Street) with Murray Street.

Stage 2 is the reconfiguration of lanes at the highway’s Docker Street intersection which is expected to take about two weeks, finishing in mid-May weather permitting.

We will start work at the Docker and Edward streets intersection on Wednesday 3 May 2023. Early work involves repurposing some sections of parking lanes on Docker Street to allow for new turning lanes. Signage will be installed to affected areas along Docker on 3 May, weather permitting.

Transport is ready to start on the upgrades with preliminary work to be carried out from Monday 6 February.

This work involves relocating street lighting, tree trimming and, in some cases, a small number of tree removals to provide a clear corridor for larger vehicles such as trucks and buses.

Some sections of parking lanes will also be repurposed to accommodate through lanes. About 70 parking spaces will be affected.

It is expected to take about eight weeks to install traffic lights and finish the Murray Street intersection upgrade, weather permitting. Work will progress to the Docker Street intersection with this stage to take about three weeks, finishing in early May, weather permitting.

Night and Sunday work

There is 'out of hours' and night work planned during the project. Transport has approval to carry out night work between 6pm and 4am when the highway is less busy and safer for workers and motorists.

Some Sunday work (daytime hours) will be required at various stages.

Murray Street (north & south) closure

The Murray Street intersection with Edward Street will be closed to traffic from Wednesday 15 February 2023 until work is finished on this stage of the project in early April.

Pedestrian access in the area will also be limited for the safety of workers and the community. Detour signage to assist pedestrians will be in place.

Hospital access

Access to Wagga Wagga Base Hospital will remain via Lewis Drive under traffic control. The bus stop outside the hospital will remain operational however the taxi rank will not be available during the project. Nearby taxi ranks are located in Station Place near the Railway Station or Forsyth Street near the Sturt Mall.

Traffic management

There will be changed traffic conditions in the work area. Lane closures and a reduced speed limit of 40 km/h will be in place. The highway will be reduced from two lanes to single lane in each direction at various stages of the project. One lane will remain open to traffic at all times, however, road users can expect delays of up to 10 minutes.

Transport is finalising preparations for the $3.4 million redevelopment and safety upgrades at two of Wagga Wagga’s busiest intersections in the city’s health precinct.

Work on this important project is now scheduled to start in early 2023, weather permitting.

The project was due to start on 19 September 2022 but has been pushed back due to an unexpected delay in planning approval processes.

Transport is upgrading the two intersections on behalf of Health Infrastructure (HI) and is working closely with HI to finalise planning approvals.

Wet weather and cold conditions not ideal for road building pushed the project start date from May 2022 to September 2022.

It is expected to take eight weeks to complete the project, weather permitting.

Transport will keep the community updated as the project progresses towards a new start date.

Stage 1 of the project is the installation of traffic lights at the Sturt Highway intersection (Edward Street) with Murray Street.

Stage 2 is the reconfiguration of lanes at the highway’s Docker Street intersection.

The upgrades will improve safety and traffic efficiency in the health precinct area which includes the city’s two hospitals and supporting specialist facilities.

Other key benefits to the project include better accessibility in and around the health precinct, and improved connectivity with the city’s broader transport network, including the Active Travel Plan Project.

Transport for NSW is upgrading the Edward Street intersections with Murray and Dockers streets in Wagga Wagga to improve traffic conditions around the city's busy health precinct.

These busy junctions have been identified for safety and traffic efficiency improvements.

Investigations are expected to be carried out in the first half of 2021, with the upgrades to be completed by mid-2022.

Transport for NSW is upgrading two intersections along Edward Street.

Key features of this work includes:

• installing new traffic lights at the Edward and Murray Street intersection
• installing dedicated turning lanes from Edward Street into Murray Street
• upgrading the road surface at Edward and Murray Street intersection, and repairing the road surface near Docker Street.
• upgrading the existing Edward Street intersection at Docker Street, with changes to turning lanes and traffic lights to improve intersection efficiency
• improving pedestrian and cyclist access across Edward Street, integrating with Wagga Wagga City Council’s (WWCC) Active Travel network
• relocating power poles and removing trees to provide a clear corridor for large vehicles
• extending raised centre medians along Edward Street near traffic lights.

Key benefits of this project include:

• improved safety for all transport users
• improved traffic flow in central Wagga Wagga
• improved accessibility in and around the health precinct
• improved connectivity with broader transport network.

For more information, see the project Frequently Asked Questions.

Consultation with the community is an important part of this project’s development. We understand any road work carried out on main roads in regional towns impacts the local community and their day-to-day life.

We would like to understand community concerns and general sentiment around the intersection upgrades so we can help mitigate these issues where possible.

If you have any concerns that you would like to discuss, please get in touch with us via the contact details below.

When is construction likely to start?

We anticipate construction will start from early 2023.

How long is construction expected to take for both intersection upgrades?

Construction is expected to take about eight weeks.

How much is the project expected to cost?

The Transport for NSW-led health precinct intersection upgrades have a budget of $3.4 million.

How will I access the hospital during construction?

Community notices will be provided closer to construction. Traffic control and detours will be clearly signposted.

The Docker Street intersection with Edward Street is increasingly busy with long queues during peak hours. How will upgrades at this intersection improve traffic flow?

Docker Street will be reconfigured to provide a dedicated right turn lane into Edward Street. This will help ease congestion as turning vehicles will no longer impede the movement of north and southbound through-traffic, improving traffic flow at peak hours.

Computer modelling of traffic movements has been carried out to identify opportunities to improve intersection performance through upgrades to traffic lights and signal programming.

Will both intersections on Edward Street be upgraded at the same time?

Intersection upgrades will be completed progressively, with work staged to limit the impact of road works on Transport customers and the community.

Parking is already limited in the health precinct, why are we losing kerbside parking spaces?

The intersection improvements include construction of additional turning lanes and raised centre medians to improve each intersection’s safety and capacity to handle large traffic volumes. The extra lanes require repurposing parking lanes into through-lanes.

How many car spaces will be removed due to the intersection work on Edward and Docker Streets?

We expect approximately 100 kerb-side car spaces will be lost to increase traffic capacity. Transport is exploring alternate car parking opportunities to meet our customers’ needs. We have programmed work in stages to minimise car parking impacts to the community and to hospital users.

Will there be impacts to trees along these sections?

Yes. Clearance under the existing trees is acceptable for light vehicle parking, however as the parking lanes are repurposed for through-traffic, tree trimming and in some cases tree removal will be required to ensure larger vehicles such as trucks and buses can travel safely. Transport will confirm the exact number of trees to be removed during the detailed design process.

Transport takes its responsibility to the environment and legislation seriously. We have carried out an environmental assessment and have assessed what impacts construction will have on the road corridor. Our aim is to preserve as many trees as possible along Edward Street while ensuring the safety of all our Transport customers.

Why do we need another set of traffic lights instead of a roundabout?

Edward Street is a major freight corridor for longer vehicles including B-doubles. A roundabout that can accommodate these larger vehicles would occupy more space than is available, and would adversely impact residential properties at the intersection.

Why can't we close Murray Street (north) access to Edward Street?

The benefits of this option would be minor. Traffic turning right from Murray Street (South) onto Edward Street would continue to hinder the performance of the overall road network. Furthermore, this option does not address the existing issues of pedestrian safety at this intersection and is therefore not considered feasible. 

Will these traffic lights detect vehicles or work off a timer?

All traffic lights in NSW use a demand-based system that detects and responds to vehicles as they approach the intersection through sensors embedded in the road surface. The traffic lights are networked through a system that optimises traffic light performance based on neighbouring traffic lights, and its operation is continuously monitored and adjusted by Transport.

• January 2023 community update
• June 2021 community update

• 9 June 2021

  Intersection upgrades for health precinct.