Hundreds of South Rd users raise concerns about Torrens to Darlington plans

Hundreds of punters are concerned the planned South Rd tunnels won’t have enough access points and could block east-west traffic, a major government survey reveals.

Hundreds of South Rd users have raised concerns about a spate of potential issues with the current designs for the last stage of the North-South Corridor.

The state government ran a three-month long “engagement campaign” to find out what South Rd users think of the Torrens to Darlington plans.

More than 3600 people responded to a survey, and more than 1300 punters were interviewed at shopping centres.

Nearly 600 people felt the current design proposals would not provide enough access points to both the planned northern and southern tunnels.

Of those 600, 204 respondents felt there needed to be more direct access from Cross Rd to the planned motorway.

More than 250 people said on and off ramps should be located on Sir Donald Bradman Drive for access to Adelaide Airport and the CBD, instead of ramps accessing Richmond Rd.

In its August 2021 community engagement report, the state government said more than 75 per cent of respondents felt positive about the Torrens to Darlington project – a 10.5km non-stop motorway that will be the biggest infrastructure project in the state’s history.

Nearly 240 respondents raised concerns about east-to-west access in and out of local areas.

“Many comments related specifically to Black Forest and Glandore, with key concerns relating to lack of access and egress options exacerbated by the rail and the tram lines, and connectivity between the two suburbs,” the report stated.

More than 120 respondents said there was not enough detail available on which houses, businesses or community facilities would be demolished to make way for the project.

About 100 people raised concerns about potential congestion issues on South Rd, above the planned tunnels, and on nearby roads such as Anzac Highway, Richmond Rd, Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Ashwin Parade and Grange and Henley Beach roads.

“In relation to South Rd, most expressed hope that traffic would decrease as a result of the project, with others concerned about bottlenecks at ramp entries and exits,” the report stated.

Sixty-two community members felt the proposed tunnels needed to be extended. Some suggested having one mega-tunnel tunnel instead, under the perception it would reduce the number of property acquisitions.

The state government last month revealed the first 64 properties to be demolished to make way for the project.

The properties will be bulldozed so two massive Tunnel Boring Machines can be assembled on the western side of South Rd at Clovelly Park, in an area between Selgar Ave and Princes Parade.

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Originally published as Hundreds of South Rd users raise concerns about Torrens to Darlington plans