Pressure on State Government to fund Oaklands Crossing upgrade after $40 million federal election promise

A SUBURBAN council has set aside almost $100,000 to lobby for a major overhaul of a notoriously-slow intersection, on top of $47k already spent campaigning for a fix. Here’s why.

Warradale Appliance Service co-owner Russell Bridgman is happy about the promise to fix the Oaklands Crossing but says "it's not enough”. Picture: Matt Loxton.

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PRESSURE is mounting on the State Government to help fund a major overhaul of Oaklands Crossing ahead of Thursday’s state budget.

The Coalition’s pre-election pledge of $40 million for the intersection was the first money set aside to fix long-running traffic snarls, but its commitment would be at least $100 million short of the funds needed.

Marion Mayor Kris Hanna said the pledge created “inexorable pressure” on the State Government to come to the party, regardless of who won the federal election.

“The community has raised expectations, so the local community will be wanting that $40 million no matter who wins the election,” Mr Hanna said on Sunday.

Mr Hanna said a meeting with Transport Minister Mullighan about the project last month was “encouraging”.

“I think the stars are aligning for a fix sooner rather than later,” Mr Hanna said.

The council has budgeted $97,000 over the next two years to campaign for the crossing.

That money is on top of the $47,000 it spent lobbying for the project in the lead-up to Saturday’s federal poll.

It aims to pressure the state and federal governments to fix traffic hold-ups by separating the Seaford rail line from the intersection of Morphett and Diagonal roads.

Mr Hanna said the only contribution the council would make towards groundwork was for footpaths.

A design for Oaklands Crossing released by the State Government in 2012.

Mr Mullighan would not say whether funding for the project would feature in Thursday’s state budget.

“The announcement by the Coalition falls well short of the funding required to upgrade Oaklands Crossing,” Mr Mullighan said.

“The cost of upgrading the crossing is estimated to be between $140 million to $200 million, depending on the solution.

“This funding announcement does not even cover a third of the funding needed for an upgrade.”

Motorists have reported delays of up to 20 minutes at the crossing.

Traffic has been made worse by the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre opening in 2011, more frequent trains on the electrified Seaford line and the continual expansion of Westfield Marion.

Warradale Appliance Service co-owner Russell Bridgman, whose business is on the northwestern side of the intersection, said the crossing needed to be upgraded.

“Peak hour is a 20-minute wait, no matter where you’re going,” Mr Bridgman said.

Traffic on Morphett Rd at Oaklands Crossing. Picture: Roger Wyman.

Elder state Labor MP Annabel Digance was hopeful of a state contribution towards Oaklands Crossing either in Thursday’s budget or the next one.

“We’ll see how that pans out but we need to be realistic,” Ms Digance said, pointing to work already underway on South Rd.

Meanwhile, the federal Liberal Party last week pledged $2 million towards a study on improving traffic flow on Marion Rd between Cross Rd and Anzac Highway.

West Torrens councillor Arthur Mangos labelled the pledge “the best thing since sliced bread”, saying the work was “long overdue”.

Tour Gourmet Coffee and Catering owner Pete Mathews said he was often held up on Marion Rd while delivering coffee and lunches to local businesses.

“The congestion is quite frustrating at times, so any opportunity to relieve the pressure would be a relief,” Mr Mathews said.

State Labor MP Steph Key’s office is on Marion Rd within the study area, and she welcomed the funding.

“It’s a very busy road and we think that would be very useful in Ashford,” Ms Key said.

Do you regularly use the intersection? Leave a comment below and let us know about your experiences.