Adelaide Hills Amy Gillett Bikeway extension project to go ahead after funding secured

An extension to an Adelaide Hills bikeway which honours the legacy of a great young South Australian will finally go ahead after years in limbo.

An extension to an Adelaide Hills bikeway which honours the legacy of a great young South Australian will go ahead after a funding agreement was reached.

Stage Four of the Amy Gillett Bikeway – set to extend the trail from Mount Torrens to Birdwood – will go ahead after the Adelaide Hills Council committed to build stage four of the Amy Gillett Bikeway with government funding.

The state and federal governments will fund $2.6 million each of the $5.7 million project with a council contribution of $500,000.

Named in honour of cyclist Amy Gillett, who was tragically killed in 2005 during a training ride with the Australian women’s cycling team, the shared-user bikeway currently consists of four stages.

Stage one spans between Oakbank and Woodside and was built by the State Government in 2010 on an abandoned rail corridor.

Stage two and three continue on to Charleston and Mount Torrens – both of which were completed by 2014.

Since then, the remainder of the planned bikeway – which includes the final stage to Mount Pleasant – has been in limbo, after no further funding was allocated by the State Government.

Cyclists enjoy a ride along Amy Gillett near Woodside. Photographer: Darren Clements.

But last year, the state government came to the party, matching the federal commitment and now the project has won the green light with the council voting to fund the remainder.

The work will extend the Amy Gillett Bikeway from its current end point in Mount Torrens at Oval Rd, taking it through to Onkaparinga Valley Rd in Birdwood, adding around six kilometres to the overall length of the bikeway.

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said he was pleased to see all levels of government stepping up to see the “important and long-awaited stage of the Amy Gillett Bikeway finally realised”.

Amy Gillett, who was tragically killed in 2005 during a training ride with the Australian women’s cycling team. Picture: Supplied

“While I note historical comments by the federal MP For Mayo, Rebekha Sharkie, that ‘the State Government has contributed its fair share’ to this important project and that ‘other tiers of government now need to step in’, this project needed a circuit breaker, and we are pleased to have helped facilitate a multi-tiered solution for this genuine three-way funding partnership,” he said.

Adelaide Hills Council Acting Mayor Nathan Daniell said the track was a much-loved asset and had a role in attracting tourism and providing economic benefit to townships in the Hills.

“Council have committed additional funds to cover the shortfall in government funding and will also undertake ongoing maintenance of the new stage so everyone, especially Birdwood residents, can enjoy the benefits,” he said.

Member for Mayo, Rebekha Sharkie MP said she was pleased to see the project going ahead after securing the initial funding four years ago.

“Delays to the project have resulted in cost blowouts but despite these setbacks, it is a great result that the Adelaide Hills Council has voted to increase its funding contribution towards this valuable project,” she said.

“This project has endured several changes in Government at a state and federal level, so I am relieved that despite these challenges it is pushing ahead.

“I look forward to travelling the Mount Torrens to Birdwood leg of the Bikeway once completed.”