Brad Hazzard, Member for Wakehurst and Jonathan O’Dea, Member for Davidson, wish to invite the Northern Beaches Community to the official naming of the intersection of Warringah Road and Wakehurst Parkway at Frenchs Forest.
Mr Hazzard said the busy and historic intersection will be officially known as the ‘Blinking Light’ intersection once work on the Northern Beaches Hospital road upgrade project is complete.
"This is a very fitting and special way to acknowledge one of the busiest intersections through the peninsula which is used by more than 100,000 vehicles each day," Mr Hazzard said.
In 1952, a blinking light was suspended in the middle of Warringah Road and Wakehurst Parkway to alert motorists they were approaching an intersection. This light quickly became a local landmark due to its design, much like ‘Blinky Bill’ on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Mr O’Dea, who will be attending the celebration, said the blinking light was replaced by traffic lights in 1966 to improve safety for road users and the intersection has been upgraded several times since.
"Although the light was removed more than 50 years ago, the community still associates this intersection with the original blinking light so it’s fitting Roads and Maritime Services has decided to acknowledge this small piece of history," Mr O’Dea said.
A community celebration will be held on Sunday 25 November to honour the history of the intersection and celebrate the recently upgraded lanes on Warringah Road before work on the underpass ramps up.
A number of fun activities including face painting, morning tea, a local pantomime about the intersections history, a petting zoo and old transport mode displays will be on offer to the community.
All community members are encouraged to come along between 10am and 12pm to join in and celebrate the history of the intersection. The celebration will be held at Brick Pit Reserve on the corner of Warringah and Bantry Bay roads at Frenchs Forest.
For more information about the ‘Blinking Light’ community celebration, visit the project page https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/sydney-north/northern-beaches-hospital/index.html
