Footpath and crossing upgrades to improve road safety of Goondiwindi schools

The new school year will see improved road safety for two Goondiwindi primary schools thanks to $165,000 in footpath and pedestrian crossing upgrades planned for the school holidays.

The work will improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists by widening the existing concrete footpaths in Herbert and Callandoon Street. The existing pedestrian crossing on Callandoon Street will also be moved further east away from the Herbert Street roundabout, with new island crossings installed to make it safer for both cyclists and pedestrians to cross.

Goondiwindi Regional Council has successfully received $165,000 from the Queensland Government’s School Transport Infrastructure Program towards the project.

Mayor of the Goondiwindi region the Honourable Councillor Lawrence Springborg AM said the funding would mean safer travel for students, parents and teachers at St Mary’s Parish School, as well as the Goondiwindi State Primary School around the corner.

“I’m very proud that Council has been able to successfully secure this funding as it presents a great opportunity to invest in the safety of some of the high traffic roads surrounding two of our primary schools,” the Mayor said.

“As always, public infrastructure is the priority for this council and it’s important that we make sure residents can walk or cycle to school as safely as possible,” Cr Springborg said.

“These upgrades will significantly improve the safety for all users of one of the key road networks in Goondiwindi.”

The footpath upgrades will see the width of the existing Herbert Street footpath doubled to three metres, and the Callandoon Street path will be widened to 2.5 metres. Once replaced, the upgraded Callandoon Street crossing will distance pedestrians from the roundabout and allow more space for vehicles to queue, after exiting the roundabout.

Goondiwindi Regional Council’s concrete crew will complete the road safety upgrades, which are scheduled during the school holidays to minimise disruption. The work is expected to take four weeks to complete.

The work will complement the recent work in Yelarbon to improve pedestrian safety along Eena Street from the Yelarbon State School to Lagoon Street. It also complements the newly finished Lamberth Road cycleway in Goondiwindi, which completed a vital ‘missing link’ in the town’s cycle network.

"Since 2017, Council has constructed nearly three kilometres of cycleways in the region at a cost of more than $1 million," Cr Springborg said. “This project will also allow for cyclists and pedestrians to share the footpath and cross the road safely at the new island crossing.”