City-Gawler freeway link
Anna Merola
17jul05
A $300 MILLION freeway – one of South Australia's biggest infrastructure projects – will be built linking Adelaide with Gawler.
Due for completion in 2011, the project will see the Sturt Hwy extended south by 22km from Gawler, creating a wider and more free-flowing link to Port Wakefield Rd, at Waterloo Corner.
A two-year planning study is underway to determine the best route for the four-lane Northern Freeway, with consultation among councils and residents beginning last week.
"As the northern suburbs continue to grow, this freeway link will be vital for motorists and businesses moving freight and will provide direct traffic movement from the Barossa Valley and Riverland through to the Port, cutting about 20 minutes off each trip," acting transport minister Paul Holloway said.
The Federal Government's AusLink program will fund 80 per cent of the freeway over 10 years, with the State Government committing $60 million over three years. The majority – $46.1 million – is allocated in the 2008-2009 financial year.
Gawler mayor Tony Piccolo, also the Labor candidate for Light, welcomed the announcement. "It's been talked about for over 10 years, so we're very pleased that finally it's going ahead," he said.
The two-year planning study will find the best route suited to the needs of the transport industry and daily commuters.
It's already been determined that the freeway will bypass the township of Angle Vale.
Mr Piccolo says the town's estimated 5000 residents have long endured traffic congestion from cars and heavy vehicles, which pass by two primary schools.
"The number of B-double trucks is like a never-ending road train," he said.
"So safety will significantly improve as parents and children will no longer have to deal with heavy trucks and through traffic clogging the Heaslip-Angle Vale Road intersection."
Of the $300 million allocated, it's proposed $190 will go towards extending the Sturt Highway.
The remaining $110 million will be spent on upgrading another 9km of Port Wakefield Rd, between Waterloo Corner and Salisbury Highway, to meet up with Port River Expressway.
"The freeway is expected to take traffic off Main North Rd, enabling motorists to avoid 18 sets of traffic signals," Mr Holloway said.
"This will also improve safety on the local arterial network, particularly Heaslip, Angle Vale and Main North Roads."
When completed in 2011, it's predicted the freeway will carry up to 36,000 vehicles a day.
By 2020, that number could increase to more than 46,000.
A proposed timeline indicated seven phases in which the project will be completed, including land acquisition from private property owners scheduled for 2007.
This is necessary as the freeway will traverse an area where there is currently no transport corridor, Mr Holloway said.
"It's expected that major freight routes and surrounds between the Riverland, Barossa Valley and the eastern seaboard will benefit from the freeway," he said.
The new road is not expected to incorporate Heaslip Rd which will remain open but become a local connector road.
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Possible Freeway path:
http://photoadelaide.com/JunkPile/Gawle ... elaide.gif
Port Adelaide - Gawler freeway corridor:
http://photoadelaide.com/JunkPile/North ... rridor.gif
COM: Northern Expressway | 22km
A very interesting concept - and I believe that this is only stage 1 of a potential 4 stage total North-South Freeway - what we have been needing now for over 20 years.
So here is my concept on possible stage routes:
Stage 1: The Gawler - Port Wakefield Road stage as above
Stage 2: Branch off the Salisbury Highway-South Road Connector (or is that the Port Expressway now...) - follow the train line in parallel (mostly old rail yards) until Torrens Road
Stage 3: Extend the Southern Expressway northward - along the old 1968 MATS plan route to join South Road at the new City West Link
Stage 4: A tunnel joining stages 2 & 3 - under the City West Link and train line
If a stage 5 was added - this would be duplicating the Southern Expressway to a dual carriageway.
Thats my thought for the day...
So here is my concept on possible stage routes:
Stage 1: The Gawler - Port Wakefield Road stage as above
Stage 2: Branch off the Salisbury Highway-South Road Connector (or is that the Port Expressway now...) - follow the train line in parallel (mostly old rail yards) until Torrens Road
Stage 3: Extend the Southern Expressway northward - along the old 1968 MATS plan route to join South Road at the new City West Link
Stage 4: A tunnel joining stages 2 & 3 - under the City West Link and train line
If a stage 5 was added - this would be duplicating the Southern Expressway to a dual carriageway.
Thats my thought for the day...
I agree that a north-south highway is badly needed. But if i may, some other suggestions.
Go ahead with Nth Fwy and PR Express, and extend down along the islington rail yards, do NOT tunnel, and elevate highway above railtracks until city parklands to which it runs in a straight line under port road to the Mile End Railyards to which it diverts at the City West Link - from here TUNNEL to the airport under Bradman drive, and create a interchange at the airport. Next stage is South Road, however difficult it will be to manuever, we will need 4 lanes each way. My suggestion- one way ground level, one way elevated level. until the expressway. Widening of the expressway is needed to 3 lanes each direction. extend expressway to Pt Willunga (seaford Rise) and then divert onto victor harbor road as trio carrigaway.
a short version:
Stage 1: Islington Highway (Railyards Corridor)
Stage 2: City West Connector (Parklands-Mile End Rail Route)
Stage 3: Airport Link (Bradman Drive Tunnels)
Stage 4: Southern Express (South Road Elevation)
Stage 5: Southern Express (Widening)
Stage 6: Southern Express (Extension to Seaford)
Stage 7: Encounter Highway (Victor Harbor Road upgrade to Freeway)
Other possibilities include:
1. Bedford Park (Southern Expressway start) highway and tunnels through hills to adjoin at Crafers Highway (Mount Osmdond Interchange)
2. O-Bahn transformation to freeway corridor) - includes tunnels under parklands to meet at City-West(mile End hwy)
3. the old rail line that passed by at Yatala Prison transformed into a freeway corridor linking Obahn route to Islington hwy.
4. Freeway standards upgrade to Port Rds and Anzac Hwy (both 100kph, with underpasses at major intersections)
Go ahead with Nth Fwy and PR Express, and extend down along the islington rail yards, do NOT tunnel, and elevate highway above railtracks until city parklands to which it runs in a straight line under port road to the Mile End Railyards to which it diverts at the City West Link - from here TUNNEL to the airport under Bradman drive, and create a interchange at the airport. Next stage is South Road, however difficult it will be to manuever, we will need 4 lanes each way. My suggestion- one way ground level, one way elevated level. until the expressway. Widening of the expressway is needed to 3 lanes each direction. extend expressway to Pt Willunga (seaford Rise) and then divert onto victor harbor road as trio carrigaway.
a short version:
Stage 1: Islington Highway (Railyards Corridor)
Stage 2: City West Connector (Parklands-Mile End Rail Route)
Stage 3: Airport Link (Bradman Drive Tunnels)
Stage 4: Southern Express (South Road Elevation)
Stage 5: Southern Express (Widening)
Stage 6: Southern Express (Extension to Seaford)
Stage 7: Encounter Highway (Victor Harbor Road upgrade to Freeway)
Other possibilities include:
1. Bedford Park (Southern Expressway start) highway and tunnels through hills to adjoin at Crafers Highway (Mount Osmdond Interchange)
2. O-Bahn transformation to freeway corridor) - includes tunnels under parklands to meet at City-West(mile End hwy)
3. the old rail line that passed by at Yatala Prison transformed into a freeway corridor linking Obahn route to Islington hwy.
4. Freeway standards upgrade to Port Rds and Anzac Hwy (both 100kph, with underpasses at major intersections)
Some good ideas there Eskimo - like the Airport Link - now we have a real terminal we need to have the services for it, I had thought of a Subway to the Airport - maybe both.
Not sure on the use of South Road as a Freeway think it needs to be all new to make it work - but thats just me.
Like the connection to the South Eastern - reminds me again of the MATS 1968.
Keep the O-Bahn though.
Not sure on the use of South Road as a Freeway think it needs to be all new to make it work - but thats just me.
Like the connection to the South Eastern - reminds me again of the MATS 1968.
Keep the O-Bahn though.
Nice idea there! I looks like the northern section runs along the current train tracks am i correct? There's a lot of dead space adjacent the train tracks before it crosses grand junction road into the northern suburbs, i too think it should be converted into a freeway or expressway.. that'll help immensely with the south road bottle neck between port and torrens road by by passing it completely.
i don't know the technicalities of doing something like this, but one would imagine it may be cheaper than building two massive tunnels in south road as proposed.
i don't know the technicalities of doing something like this, but one would imagine it may be cheaper than building two massive tunnels in south road as proposed.
I wouldn't be so sure about the section south of the tunnel. AFAIK, there isn't any real distinctive corridor south until where the existing Southern Expressway begins. The northern part would be no problem, but it should probably run further west from the rail lines a few hundred metres. Unrelated, but the current Islington Works and railyards could really do with redevelopment so that the use of stations on that area (Islington, Islington Works (closed), Kilburn) of the Gawler line are better utilised.
The government's idea is different from the one brought up here. It isn't neccessarily to create a freeway standard roadway from north to south, but to upgrade South Road so that it has minimal to no intersections, hence the two tunnels proposed.
The government's idea is different from the one brought up here. It isn't neccessarily to create a freeway standard roadway from north to south, but to upgrade South Road so that it has minimal to no intersections, hence the two tunnels proposed.
Rather than a tunnel for the entire length of the CBD, it'd be easier to just continue following the rail line until Anzac Hwy.
The tunnels they've planned for South Rd aren't very long. One goes under Anzac Hwy and the other under Port and Torrens Roads. Neither would be more than a kilometre, while yours is several.
Building tunnels is a Sydney style solution. Soon Sydney will have more tunnels than surface streets.
The tunnels they've planned for South Rd aren't very long. One goes under Anzac Hwy and the other under Port and Torrens Roads. Neither would be more than a kilometre, while yours is several.
Building tunnels is a Sydney style solution. Soon Sydney will have more tunnels than surface streets.
I do agree the tunnels are long on the pic - it is only a concept - my biggest concern is the west parklands - can't see any road approval that eats up parklands. So could tunnel under parklands, and Torrens, then back up again near James Congdon Road.AtD wrote:Rather than a tunnel for the entire length of the CBD, it'd be easier to just continue following the rail line until Anzac Hwy.
The other option could be through Bowden - North of Park terrace and the Entertainment centre (would have been Hindmarsh Interchange if MATS went ahead) then south parallel to Port Road.
I'd prefer tunnels rather than an elevated freeway that straddles the railway lines for most of its length, even if it is more expensive. 3-4km of tunnels isn't too long, just look at all the tunnelling that occurred on the M5 East in Sydney, and the tunnelling on the M2.AtD wrote:Rather than a tunnel for the entire length of the CBD, it'd be easier to just continue following the rail line until Anzac Hwy.
The tunnels they've planned for South Rd aren't very long. One goes under Anzac Hwy and the other under Port and Torrens Roads. Neither would be more than a kilometre, while yours is several.
Building tunnels is a Sydney style solution. Soon Sydney will have more tunnels than surface streets.
If such a freeway does go ahead as such, I believe that it should only serve for crosstown traffic in the north-south direction and that there should be no offramps to serve CBD bound traffic between Anzac Highway and Regency Road. There should also be some freeway link somewhere in the inner southern suburbs that connects this freeway to the South Eastern Freeway to serve interstate commuters and for freight routes. This would mean that National Highway 1 would be redirected from Portrush Road to the new freeway links up to Port Wakefield Road.
Northern expressway
The Northern Expressway was on the news a bit yesterday, with regard to cost blowouts. I hadn't heard much about it, so I googled and came up with this site:
http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/transpo ... /index.asp
it has a map of where the route will begin and end, but the actual route is not determined yet.
I would be interested to hear some comments.
http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/transpo ... /index.asp
it has a map of where the route will begin and end, but the actual route is not determined yet.
I would be interested to hear some comments.
cheers,
Rhino
Rhino
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