Disgruntled drivers are demanding the government hurry up and redevelop a notorious North Wagga intersection, which has seen growing traffic since the closure of Eunony Bridge.
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One of the concerned commuters is Estella resident Shantal Armstrong, who says she's had many close calls while trying to navigate the intersection on Old Narrandera Road and Olympic Highway
"It's an accident waiting to happen, and I don't want to see my nieces or relatives in a fatality," Ms Armstrong said.
"With the closure of the bridge the traffic's getting even worse here; it's just causing havoc."
The bridge closure has meant more residents in Estella and Gobbagombalin have had to funnel down Old Narrandera Road to get into the city.
Wagga councillor Paul Funnell estimated the bridge closure would lead to a further 3400 vehicles going through the intersection every day, pushing the grand total to well over 18,000.
Cr Funnell said he'd worked in the smash industry for 15 years and had come to know a hazard when he saw one.
"It's absolutely ludicrous," Cr Funnell said.
"I'd say once a month I go close to having a head-on collision here. It's beyond comprehension that we're still having this discussion."
He went on to slam the "clowns" at the Roads and Maritime Service, who'd previously said they'd "expected" to come up with solutions for Old Narrandera Road in 2019 but have so far been unable to deliver.
However in a preliminary report the RMS acknowledged the existence of "road safety issues" at the intersection, saying they would be coming up with several "preferred options" to upgrade the infrastructure.
The report comes in the aftermath of a community consultation session, which attracted 390 comments from members of the community.
The report highlight common complaints and some suggested solutions, which included an extension to the current southbound merge lane, a slower speed limit, and a new grade-separated interchange with options to connect to the Olympic Highway or Gardiner Street in North Wagga.
Cr Funnell said there was an "easy solution" to the congestion: removing the intersection entirely and instead building a tunnel under the highway to create a separate lane of traffic.
"It's quite a simple solution, and for goodness sake - China can build a hospital in three weeks but we can't do this in 15 years," Cr Funnell said.
"This is critical safety infrastructure, and we're fed up with waiting. I'm not prepared to sit and wait for a fatality to happen."
Cr Funnell said he had "absolutely no idea" how much government funding the project would need, but he insisted it was a necessary investment that would require all three levels of government to stop "dragging their butts".