State government to push back Torrens to Darlington budget expenditure after review finds ‘overly optimistic and unrealistic’ timeline

Elevated roadways could be removed entirely from the Torrens to Darlington project, as Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis says a review of the project has revealed an “unrealistic” timeline.

Elevated roadways would be lowered or removed entirely from the Torrens to Darlington project under a plan proposed by Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis, after a review identified an “overly optimistic and unrealistic” timeline set by the previous government to complete the new road.

Revealing his state government’s decision to delay the $9.9bn Torrens to Darlington project, Mr Koutsantonis flagged design changes at two key sites along the 10.5km stretch of motorway.

The delay means works on the final section of the North-South Corridor will start in 2024, rather than next year, and the completion date will be pushed back a year to 2031.

Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Mariuz

A report prepared following the review, which was conducted by the Transport Department after Labor took government, advised “cashflows included in previous budgets could never have been achieved”.

Speaking exclusively to The Advertiser, Mr Koutsantonis accused his predecessors of creating timelines for the project “purely to meet an election time frame”.

“Over the last four years, South Australians were led to believe this project was on track,” he said.

“That’s simply not the case.”

The total cost of the project will remain $9.9bn but the hit to Thursday’s state budget, which forecasts spending for the next four years, will drop from $4.3bn to $3.2bn because of the delayed start.

The reference design shows a section of road at West Hindmarsh would be elevated 11m in order to retain local heritage sites. Picture: Supplied

Mr Koutsantonis said the government intended to keep most of the current design but would investigate ways to minimise the elevated roadway at Anzac Hwy and remove the one at West Hindmarsh, adjacent to the Brickworks – both of which had been controversial with local communities.

When designs were released last November, the former Liberal government said the West Hindmarsh section of road would be elevated 11m to retain local heritage sites.

The report, prepared after the review and seen by The Advertiser, revealed there had been inadequate consideration and development of options that could have reduced the “visual impact” of the elevated roadways.

Mr Koutsantonis said the review did not call for any change to the number of properties that would need to be acquired for the project, but could not rule out any more in the future. A total 393 properties have been flagged for acquisition under the current design.

The reference design includes an elevated road across the Anzac Highway intersection. Supplied: SA Government

The total project budget of $9.9bn remains unchanged but the funding timeline has been substantially pushed back, with spending over the four years of the forward estimates revised down from $4.3bn in the Liberals’ 2021-22 budget to $3.2bn in this week’s budget.

Mr Koutsantonis dismissed suggestions the revised timeline was an attempt to alleviate pressure on the state budget and instead direct money to funding the government’s $1.2bn of health commitments made before the election.

“Our spending on health is operational and capital … this is all capital,” he said. “This is not about trying to save money. If everything was ready, we would go ahead as planned.”

He said the new federal government had assured that commonwealth funding for the project would remain unchanged.

The review also found that critical tenders would not have met timelines for the project.

“On any reasonable reading of the advice given to me, the former government’s statements about how quickly tenders could be issued simply couldn’t be believed,” he said.