Looking back at Ballarat's major intersections before they were upgraded

Despite rapid growth across the city, it's taken a while for Ballarat's road network to catch up.

In 2018, the state government promised $60 million to upgrade six intersection across town, mainly in the booming south and west.

Now five years later, five of the intersections are finished, with one more to begin major construction later this year.

Looking back, it is stunning to see the country roads and tree-lined streets in areas that are now bustling with houses, and new shopping centres like the Delacombe Town Centre.

Google Maps has a time-machine function, where previous Street View photos can be accessed, some dating back to 2007.

The Courier went back to those images and compared with updated ones from earlier this year, as construction ended at several of the intersections.

Do you remember what Albert Street and Hertford Street, Sebastopol looked like before the major additions of McDonald's, KFC and the new and improved traffic lights?

What about when the Globe Hotel stood at the corner of Albert and Rubicon streets before it was torn down to make way for a servo and Hungry Jack's?

Another major change was the construction of Delacombe Town Centre, Bunnings, a service station and McDonald's.

The recent upgrade of the intersection at the Glenelg Highway and Wiltshire Lane introduced traffic lights, turning lanes and a bigger capacity to handle the growing number of vehicles travelling in the area.

The intersection was once the boundary of city and country, with huge farmland bordered by massive trees and old homes.

This was similar for Ballarat-Carngham Road, where Ballarat's growth exploded in recent years.

In 2007/8, the area between Wiltshire Lane and Dyson Drive - and further - was also farmland as far as the eye could see.

The teething problems associated with the growth and roadworks, from traffic snarls and loss of income for businesses, have improved.

But the question remains on what happens next. Already, one can tell the massive housing developments on Tait Street and off Ascot Gardens Drive will need new traffic management soon to prevent accidents and congestion.

Another question is whether all these new traffic lights are enough to help get people around?

The Courier's famous "street race", which runs every six months from Delacombe to Town Hall, will return later this year to see if it's now any quicker to get to the middle of town through the school rush.

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