Local residents have a new addition to help keep their community safer, with the successful installation of traffic lights at the Yarrow and Lindisfarne street intersection.

Works on the intersection concluded on Wednesday with the traffic lights operational from mid-morning.

Invercargill City Council Group Manager Infrastructure Erin Moogan said the works, which had been completed ahead of schedule, also provided improved pedestrian crossing facilities and cycling infrastructure.

“The intersection of Yarrow and Lindisfarne streets had been identified as a high-risk area, with 18 crashes recorded there in the past five years,” she said.

“To see these major works completed, ahead of time, is a great addition to the community and will be a lot safer and easier for the public to now navigate.”

As well as the installation of a new set of traffic signals, improvements to drainage, kerbs and channels, chipsealing and asphalting had also been completed.

“The new improvements will mean reduced speeds and conflicts between vehicles, and ensure safe negotiation of the intersection. This will mitigate and minimise the risk and severity of incidents,” Moogan said.

“We’d like to thank all local businesses, residents and road users for their understanding and patience while these works have been occurring. We’re hopeful that the end result is one that will keep the community and all road users safer.”