Ritchie Road corridor upgrade Stage 1 - Pallara

Stage 1A was completed in November 2022

Stage 1A involved improving access to and from Pallara State School, including a new right-turn pocket for drivers, crossing point for school children and new bus stops.

Works involved:

• Widening Ritchie Road to create space for a new right-turn pocket into Pallara State School. This has made school drop-off and pick-up easier and more efficient by creating dedicated spaces for people turning right and those travelling straight ahead on Ritchie Road.
• Creating a new crossing point with a dedicated supervisor to ensure safe crossing movements for children crossing Ritchie Road.
• Constructing two new bus stops near Pallara State School, including at the intersection of Ritchie Road and Falkland Street and the intersection of Ritchie Road and Atlantic Place.
• New kerb and channel on the western side of Ritchie Road.
• Constructing a footpath approximately 1.5 metres wide to connect the existing path and the new crossing point.

Stage 1B will focus on important upgrades to the intersection of Wadeville Street and Parkwood Drive to improve safety and travel efficiency.

Our traffic modelling shows the intersection of Wadeville Street and Parkwood Drive is experiencing long traffic queues and delays in peak periods. This is the result of the configuration of the intersection and poor visibility.

Stage 1B works

These works will involve:

• realigning and straightening Wadeville Street to create a T-intersection
• installing traffic signals on each approach at the intersection
• signalising pedestrian crossing points
• installing new traffic islands and line marking to formalise traffic movements
• installing new on-road bike lanes
• upgrading footpaths
• relocation of underground services (Telstra, Energex, Urban Utilities, NBN, APA gas)
• earthworks and clearing
• kerb and channel works.

Construction

What to expect

If you live or are travelling through the area, you may:

• see construction activity and heavy vehicle movement
• notice the site laydown and compound area on the road reserve adjacent to Pallara State School
• experience an increase in noise, dust, vibrations
• notice changed traffic conditions through the work zone.

Main construction works to upgrade the intersection of Wadeville Street and Parkwood Drive at Pallara commenced in February 2023. These works are expected to be complete by mid-2023.

To minimise impacts to school traffic, all lanes of travel will be maintained during the morning and afternoon school drop-off and pick-up times

Traffic control will be on site as required to ensure the safety of workers and road users. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times, please follow the direction of traffic control and signage.

If you live in, work, or are travelling through the area, you may experience:

• an increase in heavy vehicle movement
• increased noise, low level dust and vibration
• changes in traffic conditions, including minor delays and reduced speed limits.

Standard work hours are Monday to Saturday, 7am to 5pm.

Out-of-hours works will be required throughout the project and are only scheduled when necessary, to ensure the safety of workers and road users and minimise traffic disruptions. Advanced notification will be provided before these works occur.

Some trees have been removed to facilitate the works at the Wadeville Street and Parkwood Drive intersection.

We’re committed to protecting our local environment. At the completion of this upgrade, we will replant within the local area, where possible, to ensure that we keep our suburbs cooler and greener.