A peculiar and heavily criticised road feature in Sydney’s southwest has been abruptly removed, just days after drawing national attention for its baffling and seemingly dysfunctional design.

The now-notorious diamond-shaped roundabout, located at the intersection of Fifteenth Avenue and 28th Avenue in Austral, mysteriously vanished on Friday night. Installed as part of roadworks aimed at preparing key routes for the upcoming Western Sydney International Airport, the roundabout quickly became a lightning rod for confusion and criticism.

Drivers navigating the intersection were visibly bewildered by the unconventional layout. Footage captured last week showed motorists ignoring the roundabout’s markings altogether, often driving straight over the painted diamond in the centre.

The bizarre design prompted a flurry of complaints from residents and ridicule on social media, with many questioning how the concept was approved in the first place.

By Saturday morning, the roundabout was no more. Liverpool Council confirmed its removal to Yahoo, stating simply: “There is no roundabout, it’s gone.” A council spokesperson added, “We listened to our residents. It was a design that didn’t work… so the simplest thing to do was to get rid of it.”

On Facebook Liverpool Council Chief Executive Officer Jason Breton appeared in a video next to the roundabout confirming it would be removed. ‘Clearly a number of concerns about the roundabout we built but we’ve listened to those concerns… We’re going to take the roundabout out over the weekend.”

Photos taken over the weekend show the diamond markings painted over in black and the original roundabout signage replaced by a standard Give Way sign. The central mound was also removed, and new line markings were applied to restore the intersection to its previous layout – albeit with minor adjustments for clarity.

The intersection before the roundabout was added

Local MP Nathan Hagarty condemned the original installation, calling the situation a “disgraceful saga.” In a video posted online, he claimed the roundabout delivered did not match the original designs and demanded accountability from both Liverpool Council and the project’s contractors. “How much money has been wasted?” he asked.

In defence, the council argued the real issue is the state government’s delay in upgrading Fifteenth Avenue. “It’s always been an awkward intersection… and it’s not going to be ready in time for the airport,” a spokesperson said, warning of ongoing traffic headaches until the road receives proper investment.