Freeway widening project to get underway this month
Hills motorists may expect major delays on the South Eastern Freeway from this month, with the State Government fast-tracking the construction of a third lane between Crafers and Stirling.
Adelaide Hills
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Major construction work to widen the Freeway and build a third lane between Crafers and
Stirling will get underway this month.
The $14 million upgrade is expected to be completed by late 2020 and will include an Intelligent Motorway System.
It incorporates full road width gantries with a lane use management system, upgraded road lighting for the extent of the works, and an incident detection system using video automated incident detection technology — with a tender for this system awarded in December 2019.
The majority of construction works will occur during the day from Monday to Saturday.
City-bound work hours will be 9.30am to 6pm, and outbound work hours will be 6am to 2.30pm, to minimise impacts to road users during morning and afternoon peak times.
Member for Kavel, Dan Cregan MP, who also serves as Chair of the State’s Public Works
Committee, said the freeway widening project aimed at improving safety for all motorists using the corridor.
“This section of the Freeway is a well-known choke point with a higher rate of vehicle crashes,” he said.
“In dark, wet and slippery conditions, the volume of entering traffic makes it particularly
dangerous.
“As a resident of Mount Barker, I regularly drive the Freeway at different times of the day and night. While this is not the only choke point in the corridor, I believe it is a very significant one.
“A crash at this point of the Freeway can disrupt traffic as far back as Mount Barker.”
Well over $50 million of works are now programmed for the Freeway including $35 million in vital resurfacing works between the Tollgate and Crafers and a $15 million refit for the Heysen Tunnels. Much-needed resurfacing work is already underway near the Mount Barker interchange.