Wollongong's Blue Mile on a fast track

The next stage of Wollongong's iconic Blue Mile has been given the green light as the finishing touches were yesterday put on traffic lights at a busy Belmore Basin intersection.Work to install new traffic lights at the intersection of Harbour St and Cliff Rd was completed and the RTA is expected to switch them on within days.An existing pedestrian crossing in front of Osborne Park will be removed, with pedestrians encouraged to cross at the traffic lights. The progress comes just days after Wollongong City Council approved a tender for $1.05 million to construct the first stage of a wider footpath along Cliff Rd and a viewing platform around four mature Norfolk pines. The first stage of the path will stretch from where the pathway splits at the bottom of Cliff Rd to Georges Place. Improved street lighting, feature lighting and railings will also be incorporated, while older, unhealthy Norfolk pines will be removed.Council is optimistic the work can be completed before Christmas.Work on the second stage of the Cliff Rd footpath, extending north to the Novotel Northbeach, is expected to start early in the new year.Project manager Lance Hazell said work on the Blue Mile had progressed at least halfway along the coastal strip from Andrew Lysaght Park to Stuart Park. "Works on the Blue Mile would not have been able to progress at the rate they have without the significant federal funding we have received," he said.The Blue Mile master plan was adopted in November 2007. Already, shared pedestrian cycleways along Marine Dr and Endeavour Dr have been completed, along with the makeover of Andrew Lysaght Park and substantial work at Belmore Basin. Artworks have been finished at Osborne Park and on Brighton Lawn. Federal grants were provided towards the Endeavour Dr pathway, while the State Government provided money towards the City Beach and Belmore Basin upgrades.A cliff-top walk south of the lighthouse at Flagstaff Hill is one of the next projects on the agenda and is in the detailed design phase."The progress has been reasonably quick. In general, the feedback we are getting is really positive and the community is really happy that things are happening," Mr Hazell said.The council will hold a public information kiosk at Osborne Park next Saturday to discuss the next stage of the project and changes to traffic during construction.