South Road Pym-Regency upgrade revealed in artists impressions

New images reveal what planned South Road upgrades near Regency Road will look like as smaller SA construction firms find a fast-track to big maintenance contracts.

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Artists’ impressions have revealed what the new upgraded section of South Road – between Regency Road and Pym Street in the northwestern suburbs of Adelaide – will look like.

The impressions, which showcase a new pedestrian crossing, landscaping and bike paths, will be released by South Australia’s Infrastructure Department today.

The 1.8km section is part of the North-South Corridor project that will eventually provide a 47km non-stop motorway between Gawler and the River Torrens.

Artist impression of Pedestrian and cyclist overpass, looking east

Artist impression of South Road surface road, north of Regency Road, looking south

Artist impression of Pedestrian and cyclist overpass, from the western side, looking south

Once completed, the project is expected to deliver travel-time savings of up to eight minutes during peak periods on South Road between Regency Road and Pym Street.

Infrastructure Minister Corey Wingard said it was exciting to be able to visualise what the finished product would look like.

“This project is part of our record $12.9bn spend on infrastructure over the next four years and it’s supporting more than 200 jobs, which we know is vital during these tough COVID-19 times,” he said.

Artist impression of Pedestrian and cyclist overpass, from the eastern side, looking south

Artist impression of South Road surface road at Regency Road, looking north

Artist impression North-South Motorway, south of Regency Road, looking north

SA firms for fast-tracked work

Local road construction crews are expected to get a bigger slice of $372m of maintenance contracts under a new deal to fast-track tenders and make it easier for smaller operations to win work.

Previously road resurfacing contracts operated under a model that bundled contracts, which restricted the works to a small number of larger companies.

But the works will now be broken up into a range of different-sized packages, including some smaller ones, giving small to medium-sized SA businesses a better chance at securing contracts.

Works will now be categorised on two tiers – less than or greater than $550,000.

Infrastructure Minister Corey Wingard said by changing the way the Department of Infrastructure and Transport tenders for the worked, more small and medium-sized businesses would get a look in.

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“This new arrangement essentially gets together a much larger group of approved contractors and preferred suppliers for the department to go to for work within the package,” Mr Wingard said.

The first projects to be delivered under the new model include works on Riddoch Highway, Victor Harbor Road and the Stuart Highway.

These works are expected to start in November.

A survey of industry heavyweights last month nominated a dedicated road-maintenance funding program for key corridors as one of the state’s major infrastructure priorities.