KATHERINE will have to wait a little bit longer to receive its second set of traffic lights after a plan to install them at the intersection of the Stuart Highway and Bicentennial Road was reviewed.
The intersection is currently undergoing a $5.5 million federal government upgrade in a bid to get as many heavy vehicles as possible out of Katherine‘s bustling business hub.
The original plan included the installation of what was to be the town’s second set of traffic lights but Member for Katherine Willem Westra van Holthe said the change was made following a review of traffic volumes.
“I raised [the lights] as an issue when the design first came to my attention,” Mr Westra van Holthe said..
“I took it back to the department and to the minister, and asked whether there was really a need for traffic lights here, given the traffic volume that we currently have,” he said.
While traffic lights will now not be installed, provision will be made during the upgrade to fit them at a later stage.
“The infrastructure for traffic lights will be installed, ready for a later date.”
Transport Minister Peter Styles said the upgraded alternative route would “improve pedestrian safety” along Katherine Terrace.
"The alternative route for heavy vehicles will deliver a safer and more convenient route for large vehicles travelling through Katherine on the Victoria Highway and Stuart Highway," Mr Styles said.
“The main street in Katherine currently has to accommodate a mix of pedestrians, local and tourist traffic and heavy vehicles,” he said.