Where Adelaide’s major roadworks will be over the next two years
Adelaide is braced for two more years of major roadworks as 10 key projects are scheduled to start — here are the traffic bottlenecks to avoid. SEE THE MAP
- New lanes open on Darlington Interchange
- Timelapse shows Oaklands Crossing as you’ve never seen it
- Aerial picture reveals progress of Regency Rd to Pym St upgrade
Adelaide drivers will endure more pain over the next two years before enjoying the fruits of a round of major roadworks.
Billed as a “congestion-busting agreement”, the state and federal governments this week said 10 key projects would begin within 12 to 24 months.
Transport Minister Stephan Knoll said there would be measurable benefits for motorists at the end of the $361 million worth of works.
“This will help reshape the city by eliminating some of Adelaide’s most notorious traffic hot spots,’’ he said.
The 10 projects in the agreement are:
■ TORRENS Rd (Ovingham) level crossing upgrade;
■ BRIGHTON Rd (Hove) level crossing upgrade;
■ PORTRUSH Rd and Magill Rd intersection upgrade;
■ CROSS Rd and Fullarton Rd intersection upgrade;
■ OLD Belair Rd upgrade, Mitcham;
■ GOODWOOD, Springbank and Daws roads intersection upgrade;
■ GLEN Osmond Rd and Fullarton Rd intersection upgrade;
■ MAIN North Rd and Nottage Tce junction upgrade;
■ GRAND Junction Rd and Hampstead Rd intersection upgrade, and;
■ MAIN North Rd/Kings Rd/McIntyre Rd intersection upgrade.
Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said: “The Morrison Government promised we will get the people of Adelaide home sooner and safer, and we will deliver.”
After a log jam of projects rushed to completion before the March 2018 election, motorists have enjoyed relatively free-flowing arterial roads, but that will change in the last few months of this year.
There will also be looming problems on South Rd, where motorists will bear the brunt of the $354 million Regency Road to Pym St project, which is set to start later this year.
A massive project to connect South Rd from the Torrens to the almost completed Darlington interchange upgrading, at a cost of $2.7 billion, is undergoing a business case study. The Darlington upgrade itself will not be completed until late next year.
And works on the Northern Connector at the northern end of South Rd will also come to a head late in 2019.
There are other works, although more minor, funded in this year’s State Budget.
These include upgrading the intersections of O.G. Rd and Turner St at Felixstow; Fosters Rd and Northeast Rd at Greenacres; Graves St and Newton Rd at Campbelltown, and; Gorge Rd and Silkes Rd at Paradise.
Other budgeted projects include a scrambled crossing at the corner of The Parade and George St, Norwood, and upgrades to Black Top Rd and Skyline Drive, Hillbank, and the Southern Expressway exit at Reynella.
RAA spokesman Charles Mountain said the myriad of works meant the Transport Department would need to be vigilant in policing companies which unnecessarily blocked traffic with roadworks signs.
To cope with the pace of roadworks, the State Government last year began a new system of fines for roadwork companies which unnecessarily slowed traffic by closing lanes or using other restrictions that were not needed.
“There is a general improvement in the quality of signage and the timeliness of their use,’’ Mr Mountain said. “That means better traffic flow, but also better compliance when people need to change their driving.’’
Mr Mountain said the RAA wanted an ongoing review of traffic light phases to improve traffic flow through intersections.
“When we see work start to happen at the priority intersections, the Government has identified there will be more improvement in traffic times,’’ he said.
Clearing the way for faster commute
Motorists are saving tens of thousands of hours on the road because of Adelaide’s extended traffic clearways, new figures show.
The State Government has released the first figures for the savings made through its Keeping Metro Traffic Moving initiative, which was launched last year.
Transport Minister Stephan Knoll said Bluetooth data over the past 12 months shows a one-minute travel time improvement heading west on Greenhill Rd, between Devereux Rd and Anzac Highway, and a 40-second improvement for eastbound drivers.
“The time saving heading west amounts to around 60,000 hours for all motorists over the course of that year,’’ he said. “That’s a massive time saving for all commuters, which really adds up over the long run.’’
Mr Knoll said the number of vehicles using Greenhill Rd during clearway times jumped 4 per cent to 14,000 a day. Clearway restrictions are in place from 9.00am to 10.00am, 3.00pm to 4.00pm and 6.00pm to 7.00pm.
Studies are ongoing in other locations to benefit from extended clearway times last year and this year.
They include Sir Donald Bradman Drive, South Rd, Northcote Tce, Nottage Tce, Payneham Rd, North Tce, Flinders St, Marion Rd and Goodwood Rd.
The strategy has also been applied on Port Rd, Unley Rd, Belair Rd, Glen Osmond Rd, Fullarton Rd, Main North Rd, Portrush Rd, Lower Portrush Rd, Hampstead Rd and North East Rd.
RAA manager of road safety Charles Mountain said there had been a marked improvement in Adelaide traffic flow in the past 12 months.
“As someone who drives along Greenhill Rd on a regular basis, I can say the changes in clearway hours has made a significant difference,’’ he said.
“The challenge is to stop parking flowing into adjacent streets, which is what councils are doing. It highlights where they can make improvements and get additional capacity out of the existing network.’’