Munno Para rail crossing axed in $250m Curtis Road upgrade

It’s one of the most detested stretches of road in all of South Australia, but now this northern suburbs traffic snarl is facing major changes.

The state and federal government will invest $250 million to remove the level crossing and install grade separation on Curtis Road at Munno Para, to improve congestion and traffic in the northern suburbs.

A level crossing on a major road in Adelaide’s northern suburbs will be removed in a $250m project aiming to ease traffic congestion, the state government revealed ahead of the 2025-26 state budget.

The Curtis Rd level crossing in Munno Para will be taken out, where the Gawler Railway line crosses, 500m west of Main North Rd.

During peak hour times the boom gates can be down for up to 15 minutes every hour, creating a traffic bottleneck on the road for more than 21,000 cars that pass through the level crossing everyday.

Once the rail level crossing is removed and grade separation installed, travel time and commuter safety is expected to improve.

The state and federal government will invest $250 million to remove the level crossing and install grade separation on Curtis Road at Munno Para, to improve congestion and traffic in the northern suburbs.

Premier Peter Malinauskas announcing a $250 million state and federal government investment to remove the level crossing and install grade separation on Curtis Road at Munno Para, to improve congestion and traffic in the northern suburbs.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said this is the first stage of “dealing with the issues on Curtis Rd”.

“The boom gates are down for basically, a third of an hour, every single hour throughout … the day. That’s a massive impost on motorists,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“By removing the level crossing, it’s not just an act of convenience for locals. It actually is a massive increase in their ability … to be at home with their families or contribute productively to the economy,”

The council-owned road was voted as the state’s most riskiest roads for 2025 in the RAA’s Risky Roads survey.

“Curtis Road has become one of the busiest thoroughfares in the northern suburbs of Adelaide [because of] rapid population growth,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“We’re not just going to do a piecemeal grade separation, we’re going to do one that sets up Curtis Road for the future, given the volume of traffic that we know uses it currently and … in the future.”

Major road works will start by 2027 and are expected to finish by 2030, with concept designs of the project revealed next year.

The state and federal government will each contribute $125m towards the project, over five years.

The state and federal government will invest $250 million to remove the level crossing and install grade separation on Curtis Road at Munno Para, to improve congestion and traffic in the northern suburbs.

The state and federal government will invest $250 million to remove the level crossing and install grade separation on Curtis Road at Munno Para, to improve congestion and traffic in the northern suburbs.

The state and federal government will invest $250 million to remove the level crossing and install grade separation on Curtis Road at Munno Para, to improve congestion and traffic in the northern suburbs.

It will help prepare Munno Para and surrounding suburbs – Angle Vale, Riverlea, Kudla, Concordia, and Roseworthy – for the predicted population spike over the next 30 years.

Housing Minister Nick Champion said the government has committed to investing in “safer roads, new water infrastructure and more homes” for families and businesses in the northern suburbs.

“By investing in Curtis Rd, and the surrounding foundational water infrastructure, we are laying the groundwork for sustainable growth and improved quality of life for generations to come,” Mr Champion said.

It comes after the state government’s promise to construct a new $30m dual lane roundabout at the intersection Heaslip Rd and Curtis Rd at Angle Vale – jointly funded by the federal government – alongside two separate water and sewer infrastructure projects.

Originally published as Munno Para rail crossing axed in $250m Curtis Road upgrade