Next part of North-South corridor upgrade to go ahead as governments agree to split $354 million cost

POLITICAL gridlock on South Rd has eased as the federal and state governments agree to split the cost of upgrading a key stretch of road in Adelaide’s western suburbs.

• Torrens-to-Torrens ahead of schedule, under budget
• Construction to start between Regency Rd and Pym St
• Dangerous SA roads ignored by Federal Black Spot Program

POLITICAL gridlock on South Rd has eased as the federal and state governments announce they will split the cost of upgrading a key stretch of road in Adelaide’s western suburbs.

Both governments will commit $177 million to deliver the next stage of Adelaide’s North-South Corridor, from Regency Rd to Pym St, at a total cost of $354 million.

The congestion-busting project will connect the South Rd Superway to the Torrens to Torrens project through a new 1.8km, six-lane non-stop motorway, slashing travel times by up to eight minutes.

It comes amid a pledge to meet the “done in a decade” promise for the corridor that would result in a non-stop journey from Gawler to Old Noarlunga by 2023.

An artist impression of the proposed overpass on the corner of Regency and South roads.

Federal Cities Minister Paul Fletcher will announce the deal in Adelaide today with SA Infrastructure Minister Stephan Knoll. South Australians can expect Treasurer Scott Morrison to allocate more infrastructure projects in next week’s Federal Budget.

It is a stark turnaround from last year’s post-Budget bust-up, when the former SA Labor Government claimed the state was “dudded” by a lack of new spending.

But federal minister Christopher Pyne said at the time that Labor had failed to submit any thorough bids for infrastructure funding.

Mr Fletcher said he was “delighted” the incoming Marshall Government had come to the table quickly to progress the next stage of the North-South Corridor allowing the two governments to reach an early funding deal.

“Delivery of this next stage will complete a continuous 47km non-stop motorway between Gawler and the River Torrens.

“This project will improve road safety, reduce travel times by up to eight minutes between Regency Rd to Pym St during peak periods ... and deliver 210 new jobs per annum for SA.”

Construction works on Regency Rd to Pym St were expected to start in 2019.

Mr Knoll said both governments were working closely to deliver key infrastructure projects across the state.

“The Marshall Government will seek to work constructively with the Federal Government to deliver more funding to complete important infrastructure projects like the North-South Corridor,” he said.

A stretch of South Rd at Croydon Park that will be upgraded. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

“A few days after being sworn in as minister, I travelled to Canberra to begin repairing our relationship with the Federal Government that the previous Labor administration had destroyed.”

But SA Opposition infrastructure spokesman Tom Koutsantonis labeled the deal a “dud”.

“Labor fought hard for South Australian taxpayers to secure a better deal on infrastructure projects, with a 20 per cent share for Darlington and the Northern Connector,” he said.

“(Premier) Steven Marshall’s capitulation destroys his claim he could negotiate a better deal out of the Federal Government. Instead of paying $70 million, South Australians face paying $177 million.”

But Labor had failed to secure a new funding deal for the North-South corridor since 2015. The funding spilt on the Torrens to Torrens project was 50:50.

SA Labor had included the project in its State Budget last year with a $415 million price tag but it was only willing to foot about $80 million of the total, seeking 80 per cent of the cost from the Federal Government.

Infrastructure Australia approved the business case for the Regency Rd to Pym St project and added it its Priority Project list.

IA chief executive Philip Davies commended the former Labor Government for undertaking reviews on the completed sections of the corridor.

“Post-completion reviews are vital to assess a project’s delivery against initial expectations, and provide important lessons for governments, industry and the community regarding what worked and what did not,” he said.