It links London, St. Thomas and Port Stanley, and now a high volume crossroads – the site of the city's oldest traffic signal – is being reborn as a roundabout.

The problem child intersection of Talbot St., Sunset Dr. and Wellington Rd. is slated for a $2.1 million dollar redevelopment that's getting underway this spring.

“It's a fantastic project, we're really looking forward to it,” said Justin Lawrence, city engineer. “My interest is in improving the safety but also taking the opportunity to make the gateway to St. Thomas attractive and inspiring.”

The aptly-named Gateway Project is out to tender now and, if all goes according to plan, Lawrence is hoping to get shovels in the ground by April with construction wrapping up in June – just in time for the onslaught of Port Stanley beach-bound traffic this summer.

The City of St. Thomas is using $1.65 million from gas tax funds, $150,000 from its storm reserve and $300,000 from infrastructure reserves to fund the project. Crews will be replacing nearly two kilometres of lanes as they revitalize the intersection, which has been awaiting an overhaul for about 15 years.

“The road condition is very low, and there is a generally safety concern with the geometry of the intersection,” said Lawrence. “There was talk some time ago about rebuilding the existing intersection in place. It's just in the last year that we've started talking about a roundabout and gateway feature.”

Lawrence said crews will build a temporary bypass to connect the south and west branches of Sunset Dr. when construction gets underway. The Talbot St. section to the east and Wellington Rd. stretch to the north will be closed for most of the project.

Despite the driving disruptions the construction will cause, Lawrence said the aging intersection isn't as safe and efficient as it could be. He's confident the traffic circle will change that.

“Since we’ve been designing the project, many people relay to me close calls they’ve had or witnessed,” he said. “A roundabout is safer. There will be less accidents and the accidents that do occur will be less severe.”

But safety isn't the only benefit of the big build. With west end Talbot Street's revitalization completed last summer, the roundabout is another step to make the St. Thomas entry more welcoming, attractive and eye-catching.

“Everyone that speaks to me about the project are excited,” said Lawrence. “This is a great project both for the safety upgrade but also to improve the appearance of St. Thomas at a major entrance to the city.”

As for what will grace the centre of the multimillion-dollar roundabout, Lawrence said the city hasn't pinned that down quite yet. But one thing's for sure, the marquee will be a nod to St. Thomas' hallowed railway history.

“We haven't finalized it but we're trying to put something in that has a historical rail heritage to it. It's possible that it could be a locomotive for example, but we haven't locked it down for sure,” he said.