A chorus of car horns rang out yesterday as the intersection of Place Road and Flores Road was reopened.

Months of full and partial road closures came to an end when mayor Ian Carpenter opened the new intersection, not by cutting a ribbon but by driving through it.

Once acknowledged as Geraldton’s most dangerous ‘black spot’ for accidents, its previous dog-leg design was a hangover from construction of the Geraldton-Walkaway rail line in the nineteenth century.

The $5m realignment project had many critics, especially among local businesses adversely affected by the frequent road closures.

Some had expressed doubts of whether it would make any difference, but traffic was moving smoothly within moments of the offi cial opening.