Tony Abbott commits $1.5 billion to transform north-south corridor into expressway by 2023
JAY Weatherill is trying to dig SA out of the economic doldrums. Tony Abbott wants to save his MPs from electoral oblivion. So for once this morning, they weren’t flinging dirt at each other.
THE Prime Minister has joined forces with the State Government to ensure the North-South road corridor is transformed into an expressway by 2023.
$1.5 billion has been committed to two projects — the Torrens Road to River Torrens section and Darlington section.
Both are expected to be completed by the end of 2018.
Mr Abbott kicked off his final day in South Australia by meeting the T2T Alliance, with Premier Jay Weatherill, Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Stephen Mullighan and Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Jamie Briggs.
The 3.7km Torrens-to-Torrens project is expected to support 480 jobs a year during the $896 million upgrade.
“(Torrens-to-Torrens) major construction starts in the next few days,” Mr Abbott said.
“We want to do the right thing by jobs and growth here in South Australia and the most important infrastructure project is getting the North-South road corridor.”
South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said the freight network was vital for taking goods and produce directly to Port Adelaide.
“It goes into the incredibly important agricultural and food producing lands in the Barossa Valley and surrounding areas,” he said.
SA’s agricultural industry will also benefit from a memorandum of understanding with the largest produce market in China.
This morning, Mr Abbott — met with Guangzhou Jiangnan chairman and general manager Ye Canjiang, Adelaide Produce Market chief executive Angelo Demasi, chairman David Schirripa,
MP Matt Williams and Leon Bignell — signed the agreement at the Adelaide Produce Market.
Mr Abbott said the free trade agreement gave the horticultural industry and businesses the opportunity to capitalise on the growth of China.
“This is a great opportunity for the clean, green, producers of SA and elsewhere in our country to do even better,” he said.
“Horticultural trade between Australia and China — it’s grown sixfold in just the last three years.
“Over the next eight years tariffs on Australian horticultural exports to China will drop from in some cases 40 per cent to zero.”
The Prime Minister was welcomed by wholesalers at the market, with one worker congratulated Mr Abbott on the shipbuilding announcement.
“Great news, great work yesterday,” he said.
Mr Abbott also joked with staff about the time ate an onion, but today decided he’d enjoyed an Adelaide Hills apple instead.
Mr Abbott kicked off his final day in South Australia by meeting the T2T Alliance, with Premier Jay Weatherill, Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Stephen Mullighan and Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Jamie Briggs.
The 3.7km Torrens to Torrens project is expected to support 480 jobs a year during the $896 million upgrade.
“The Torrens to Torrens major construction starts in the next few days,” Mr Abbott said.
“We want to do the right thing by jobs and growth here in South Australia and the most important infrastructure project is getting the North-South road corridor.”