Warrnambool roundabout to be made safer in $1m street upgrade

The roundabout will be made larger to slow traffic at the roundabout which has been the location of a number of accidents and near misses.

Minor pre-works leading up to the Koroit and Fairy street roundabout will be carried out during September with the main works set to begin early October.

The council's chief executive officer Andrew Mason said the council was in the process of contacting nearby property owners to notify them of the upcoming works.

"We understand that there is never an ideal time to carry out works of this scale, however, we will be doing everything we can to minimise disruptions as much as possible," Mr Mason said.

Works are expected to be finished by late November but it is weather dependent.

The council also flagged the discovery of any unmapped underground infrastructure that may need rectifying could also impact the timeline.

Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout the entire project.

The project is being funded as part of the council's capital works program.

"The catalyst for these works was the need to rebuild the Koroit Street road surface between Kepler and Fairy streets, including the Koroit/Fairy street roundabout, and this presented an opportunity to also improve safety at the Koroit/Fairy street roundabout," Mr Mason said.

"By building a larger roundabout, it will slow traffic down and create a safer intersection."

The new roundabout will not include a zebra crossing.

"The total project cost is expected to be over $1 million, however the exact cost will depend largely on the results of the pre-works being undertaken," Mr Mason said.

He said there had been one recorded accident at the roundabout since 2015 which happened in February 2019.

The roundabout at Lava and Kepler streets is also on the agenda for an upgrade after the council received more than $400,000 in blackspot funding in March.

The council said work on that roundabout would happen after the Christmas peak period.

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