Two major road shutdowns through winter will see disruption for commuters and traders

Major road closures south of the city through winter will see significant disruption for commuters and concerns for traders.

King William Road. Picture: AAP/ Morgan Sette

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Unley Council’s $15.5m upgrade of King William Road will see the major thoroughfare closed for a minimum of five weeks through winter causing inevitable headaches for commuters.

In an attempt to minimise the impact, the road shutdown has been “deliberately timed” to coincide with the part closure of King William Street, central to State Government plan’s to upgrade the southside city tramlines.

The RAA says “significant disruption” to traffic flows are guaranteed as peak hour commuters are forced to use Goodwood and Unley Roads that already have major congestion issues.

Project manager Rod Hook confirmed King William Road will be closed for at least nine days this month and a minimum of four weeks in July and August.

He said traders on the premier shopping precinct had been fully informed and were generally supportive of the four stage plan to upgrade the area for the first time in 33 years.

King William Rd was last upgraded in 1986.

“The intention all along has been to give priority to traders and business over commuters,” Mr Hook told The Advertiser.

“If you’re moving into this area to do shopping or whatever you’ll be able to get through.

“But if you’re a commuter aiming to get to get through you will be asked or directed to go via either Unley or Goodwood Rd.

“We are deliberately trying to coincide the road closure with DPTI (Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure) who are doing some work on the tram track.”

Mr Hook said work on the Park Street/Mitchell Street intersection at the south end of King William Rd will begin on Monday, June 17.

The works will be undertaken over three separate consecutive 72 hour periods, Monday-Wednesday, to limit the inconvenience to traders.

The entire street will be closed from the start of the school holidays in mid-July with the intention to finalise the road surface by mid-August.

An artist's impression of the upgraded King William Rd.

Additional work to curbing, to be completed before the major road shutdown, will see further impact on traffic.

“The time frame is always weather dependent given it’s winter,” Mr Hook added.

“Giving them (traders) a hit in the middle of winter is preferably to other times of the year and not doing it on weekends is beneficial too.”

The Advertiser reported last month Brisbane-based company BMD Construction will be paid more than $11 million to complete its part of the upgrade that will include repaving the road and footpaths scheduled to take nine months.

A DPTI spokesman confirmed discussions around its City South Tram line Replacement Project had been held between the Public Transport Projects Alliance (PTPA) undertaking the construction on behalf of the government and Unley council.

“The project involves replacing the tram track on King William Street between Victoria Square and South Terrace and building a new tram stop near the intersection of Halifax and Sturt Streets,” the spokesman said.

“PTPA will continue working with City of Unley with the aim of co-ordinating the projects to reduce impacts to the surrounding communities and road users.”

An RAA spokesman said the timing of the road works would produce a case of “short-term pain for long-term gain”.

The RAA said the timing of the road works would produce a case of “short-term pain for long-term gain”.

“This is a good example of co-ordinating two significant projects within a common window to reduce disruption,” Matt Vertudaches said.

“However, there will be significant disruption to traffic flows, so RAA is advising motorists to plan ahead and seek alternative routes to minimise the delays.’’

KWR Traders Association chairman John Nasaris said his members were “excited” to be “moving forward.” with the project that is not scheduled to be completed until February 2020.

“We get a lot of foot traffic and a lot of loyal customers so we don’t think the impact will be too bad,” he said.

Joe Tsoleridis, who has run the Extra Newsagency on King William Road for more than 30 years, said he was concerned “how much the fire is going to burn us.”

“Unless you touch it you don’t know how hot the flame is going to be,” he said.

“People see roadworks and just avoid the area.

“I’ve already seen decline in business with just one lane closed so this is a major concern.

“Retail is very challenging as it is and I’m aware it’s just going to get worse.”

Joe Tsoleridis has owned the Extra Newsagency on KWR for more than 30 years. He's concerned about the impact on his buisness of road closures as part of the Unley Council's $15.5m plan to upgrade the road. Picture: Dean Martin

Mr Tsoleridis said he had been told the 1980s redevelopment was “poorly managed” and a lot of businesses “had gone bust”.

“I give the council credit that they are trying to help us in all the ways they can,” he added.

“I’m optimistic this will be a big benefit when it’s finished.”

Unley Residents Association spokesman and barrister Mark Clisby said retail was experiencing the worst trading conditions in almost 90 years and the council should have taken a different approach.

“Instead of barging ahead the council should have done preventive maintenance on the road for a further five years to enable the retailers to be strong enough to withstand months of the road being closed” he said.

“My fear is that many of these retailers will go to the wall and it will become ‘Ghost Town Road’.”

Unley Mayor Michael Hewitson said his council was committed to ensuring the project is delivered with minimum disruptions.

“The transformation will create a vibrant, dynamic and versatile precinct which appeals day and night to shoppers and visitors alike,” he said.

Regular updates regarding the project works are on the City of Unley website: designkingwilliam.com