Under the proposals, the road which links Route de la Libération with the Esplanade and the Weighbridge would be extinguished to create a single square.
However, concerns have now been raised about how traffic, especially buses, would navigate the new road layout.
In December, following a question from Deputy Mike Higgins, Infrastructure Minister Kevin Lewis said that he did not think the changes would cause many problems.
He said: ‘There is plenty of access coming round different routes. There is not an awful lot of traffic using those slip roads, but obviously the bus company is one of the stakeholders involved.’
However, while responding to a question from Deputy Kirsten Morel in the States yesterday, Treasury Minister Suzie Pinel said that feasibility studies had highlighted challenges surrounding traffic management.
She said: ‘I understand from the Growth, Housing and Environment Department that the scheme is now likely to cost £3 million, not £2 million, and I await an explanation for those variations when I consider the recommendation of officers.
‘The original estimate was made based on a high-level concept design, which was produced as a business case in the middle of last year.
‘The scheme has now been developed up to the feasibility stage, which has allowed a more detailed assessment to be produced, and this work has highlighted the challenge of the task of re-routing the traffic and the need to find a solution for buses which currently access the bus station through this route.’
Deputy Pinel added that the project was initially due to be funded through government under-spends but it was now likely to be paid for through profits made from JDC’s College Gardens development at Rouge Bouillon.
However, she added that no final funding decisions had been made.
Following this, Deputy Kirsten Morel asked the minister why States Members had been asked to vote on whether to allow £2 million of public money to be used in the December budget towards the project.
Deputy Pinel said: ‘That was only an alternative if we could not find the funding anywhere else and we knew that would be the initial request.
‘The extra £1 million, as I have already said, is what the Environment Department have come up with as variation on the scheme.’
