A new roundabout designed to improve traffic flow and safety at the intersection of Highton Lane, Monkey Gully Road and Rifle Butts Road is set to proceed to construction with the award of a contract at council’s meeting on Tuesday 24 June.

The project will replace the current double T-intersection with a single, modern roundabout, addressing community concerns about safety and traffic management at this increasingly busy junction.

The roundabout is part of a $12.3 million project jointly funded through the Remote Roads Upgrade Pilot Program (RRUPP) with the Australian Government and Mansfield Shire Council contributing $9.9 million and $2.4 million respectively.

The roundabout is set to cost $851,840 (ex GST).

The construction contract has been awarded to Alpine Civil, and construction is set to begin this new financial year.

The intersection forms part of council’s strategic IMPACT route project with RRUPP funding also used to significantly upgrade Highton Lane, with two sections of Rifle Butts Road, Chapel Hill Road and Archies Lane all included in the allocation of funds.

"This intersection has been a point of concern for residents for some time,” said Mayor Cr Steve Rabie.

"The new roundabout will create a much safer and more efficient connection for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians."

Alongside forming part of the IMPACT route another reason for the upgrade is to respond to development that is already happening in the Highton Lane area.

“Council is responding to the feedback and concerns raised by residents about increasing traffic and how this will be managed as Mansfield grows,” Cr Rabie said.

"In this case, the design was consulted on and changes were incorporated based on suggestions from residents.

“We have re-considered a pedestrian crossing’s location, enhanced the drainage design, realigned footpaths and changed the placement of signs."

The project will also deliver a new footpath connecting Rifle Butts Road to existing paths on Highton Lane and Monkey Gully Road, creating better active transport links.

One Highton Street resident commended the decision to extend the paths and introduce a pedestrian crossing as proving helpful for local children navigating the roads on the way to and from school.

However they did query whether a roundabout was warranted as they had not experienced any challenges at the location, nor found it to be too busy, and had greater concerns about the intersection with Buller Road.

Snr Sgt Steve Carden of Mansfield's Traffic Liaison Committee said while the Dead Horse Lane and Midland Highway intersection remains a serious concern, there have been no recorded crashes at the Highton Lane site.

"There may have been some near misses, but I haven't heard of them," he said.

Council confirmed they were actively working to seek funding for roundabouts at other locations around Mansfield and has identified the need for four additional roundabouts on arterial roads as a key priority during their current term.

“These other sites intersect with roads managed by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), which requires council to work with the department and advocate for funding for these sites as council cannot afford to fund them,” Cr Rabie said.

“Roundabouts are expensive and if council had to fund them, it would take approximately a 20 per cent increase in rates for each roundabout.

“Council has secured Black Spot funding from the Australian Government for the Mansfield-Whitfield Road / Dead Horse Lane roundabout and is currently working with the state government (DTP) to progress a Black Spot application for the Midland Highway / Dead Horse Lane roundabout,” he said.

“The Highton Lane / Monkey Gully Road intersection is on local roads managed by council, meaning we don’t need approval to upgrade the intersection.”