Intersection upgrades, cycle paths and dedicated bus lanes to be assessed as part of $10m worth of proposed new projects for SA
More than 30 new projects will be assessed for their value for money as part of a new $10m state government plan to boost the economy and jobs. EXPLORE THE LIST
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Dozens of new projects – from dedicated bus lanes, cycling networks and better pedestrian access for Hindley St – are set to be examined as part of South Australia’s new wishlist for infrastructure projects.
Tenders for planning on more than 30 new projects will be released this month to determine if the infrastructure works are worth investing in.
About $10m of State Government funding will be spent on planning studies for key arterial roads, intersections and transport corridors.
The funding will also be used to determine the best bang for buck public transport infrastructure improvements across the state.
Three Adelaide projects to be examined are an expansion of the CBD cycling network, a bus priority route along Currie St and Grenfell St and better pedestrian access for Hindley St.
Very few of the projects have been discussed previously, meaning successful projects could make it on to a fresh wishlist for Infrastructure Australia, which determines the best projects in the country worthy of funding. Planning studies will be undertaken for:
PUBLIC transport infrastructure improvements on main roads across Adelaide, and:
CORRIDOR plans for arterial roads including Portrush Rd, Cross Rd, Main North Rd, Brighton Rd, Unley Rd and Payneham Rd.
The planning studies will be focused on five key areas – improved freight efficiency, public transport, road safety, better cycling facilities and addressing congestion at intersections.
Infrastructure and Transport Minister Corey Wingard told the Sunday Mail the planning studies for the new projects were critical in getting them off the ground faster.
“The Marshall Government is taking a more proactive and strategic approach to planning for infrastructure projects,” he said.
“We want to ensure we’re as ready as we can be to pitch our projects to the Federal Government and secure funding to get them started as quickly as possible.
“That not only gets shovels in the ground faster, it gets more South Australians into jobs, which is vital as we navigate our way out of the pandemic.
Since being elected in 2018, the State Government has come under fire for failing to identify new projects.
It has a $12.9bn infrastructure pipeline on its books, with many projects being on the drawing board for several years.
Mr Wingard said not all projects would be delivered.
“But it’s necessary to do the work so we know which important infrastructure projects to prioritise when the funding becomes available,” he said.
Last month, key a report by Infrastructure Australia showed key SA projects, including the final stages of the North-South Corridor, had failed to be elevated in the Commonwealth’s list of priority projects.
At the time, Opposition infrastructure spokesman Tom Koutsantonis said the state could not afford to miss out, because the economy needed the major investment and the many jobs that big infrastructure projects delivered.
“Our failure to make the list with new projects is a significant black mark for the Marshall Liberal Government who talk big on infrastructure but have nothing to show for it,” Mr Koutsantonis said.
“Seven of the eight SA projects on the Infrastructure Australia Priority List made the cut under the former Labor Government and that’s just not good enough.”
Also, last month The Advertiser revealed industry figures had been told that heavy construction on the long-awaited upgrades to the final stretches of the South Road freeway, known as the North-South Corridor, was unlikely to start until late in 2024.
SA Property Council executive director Daniel Gannon last month suggested bold plans for the North-South Corridor should be ditched in favour of “social infrastructure” that would provide better value for money. He said transport infrastructure created fewer than four jobs per $1 million invested.