The new link road is the start of a historic South Australian transport infrastructure project
The South Australian government has revealed that the first construction project linking the River Torrens to Darlington is complete in the form of the Selgar Avenue link road.
The new road is set to link motorists and freight vehicles to southern Adelaide’s Tonsley Innovation District and southbound lanes of South Road.
“The federal government is committed to investing in major infrastructure projects like the T2D and this work is streamlining the access points in southern Adelaide to the motorway,” federal transport minister Catherine King says.
“Residents and motorists in Adelaide’s south will greatly benefit for years to come from this work being jointly funded by the federal and South Australian governments.”
The new Selgar Avenue link road allows vehicles to make a right turn onto South Road from Selgar Avenue via MAB Circuit and Tonsley Boulevard.
It also provides another entry point into the Tonsley area from South Road, in addition to the existing Tonsley Boulevard intersection. The SA government says the new link road is essential for improving local area access and connectivity with the Torrens to Darlington (T2D) motorway and South Road corridor in the Clovelly Park area.
The $2.8 million main construction of the Selgar Avenue link road was delivered by local civil engineering company Bardavcol.
SA transport minister Tom Koutsantonis says he’s “very excited to announce the first intersection and road upgrade as part of the $850 million broader network upgrades package is now complete”.
“This package is delivering additional network and amenity upgrades along and around the 10.5-kilometre Torrens to Darlington Project to ensure the proper functioning of the motorway and wider road network both during and after construction,” he says.
“The newly constructed Selgar Avenue link road will allow southbound motorists to turn right from Selgar Avenue onto South Road, which is a great outcome particularly for businesses operating in the Selgar Avenue-Drury Terrace area.
“The two-way link road provides an extra entry point into the thriving Tonsley Innovation Precinct that is rapidly expanding with commercial and residential development.
“This is the first taste of the improved road network connectivity being delivered as part of the biggest infrastructure project in South Australian history.”
Alongside this, the state government says other early works across the T2D Project are progressing well, including completing the nearby Tonsley East Substation, which will supply electricity to the tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) and then to the two parallel four-kilometre-long southern tunnels once they are completed in 2030.
The facility, which was built by SA Power Networks and its subsidiary Enerven, is located on the site of the former Mitsubishi building fronting South Road and will constitute part of the project’s Southern Laydown Area.
The federal and South Australian governments are delivering the $15.4 billion T2D Project on a 50:50 basis, which will complete the non-stop, 78-kilometre north-south corridor between Gawler and Old Noarlunga.
The 10.5-kilometre T2D Project will provide motorists with a nine-minute journey from West Hindmarsh to Darlington.