Chorus gets louder for a rethink on North-South Corridor
Calls to dump the upgrade of South Road are growing louder after the property lobby declared social infrastructure must overtake transport spending in post-covid Adelaide.
SA News
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Environmentalists have joined the chorus of people urging the State Government to rethink South Australia’s largest ever road infrastructure project.
Conservation SA, the state’s peak environment body, has backed the Property Council’s call for the Government to reconsider investment into the final stages of the North-South Corridor.
Conservation SA’s chief executive Craig Wilkins said the upgrade would be a phenomenal amount of money, with limited return on jobs.
“Right now, we need to focus on projects that deliver multiple benefits, including employment, social equity and the environment,” Mr Wilkins said.
He said for every $1 billion spent on bushfire recovery and land restoration, 10,000 jobs were created. The same amount invested in public transport infrastructure could create 36,000 jobs, he said.
“Upgrading South Rd is last-century thinking, as the massive reduction in congestion during COVID-19 has shown,” he said.
“We don’t need bigger roads, we need better options to move people away from driving their cars during peak hour.”
Mr Wilkins’ comments came after the Property Council called for funding for the project to be diverted to “social infrastructure” projects, such as sporting and leisure precincts, which it said would create more jobs.
The Government is expected to make a decision within months on how to deal with the 10.5km stretch, running north and south of Anzac Highway.
Infrastructure Minister Stephan Knoll has taken a single tunnel off the table.
That leaves a hybrid option, including two tunnels with traffic returning to the surface between Anzac Highway and Edward St, in Melrose Park, or a tunnel-free design, similar to the Torrens to Torrens build, as the possibilities.
The hybrid option is seen as being able to save a raft of historic buildings, including Thebarton Theatre, and reduce the number of land acquisitions required along the corridor.
Mr Knoll said the project was incredibly important for the state.
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“Completing the final section of the North-South Corridor and delivering the single – biggest job-creating project in our state’s history remains our infrastructure priority,” Mr Knoll told The Advertiser.
“This is a mammoth project and we already have a $5.4 billion funding commitment, but we know it will require more investment and that’s the detail we are working through.
“Aside from the massive job potential, the benefits of the hybrid tunnel option are immense, especially for the local communities living in and around those sections of South Rd.”
Meanwhile, a residents’ group pushing for tunnels has released an artist’s impression, with Thebarton Theatre, firmly in tact, to highlight the benefits of tunnels. In July last year, the Sunday Mail revealed iconic heritage buildings, including the theatre, were among the 1000 properties that could be bulldoze d to complete the North-South Corridor.