[U/C] M2 North-South Motorway

[rockthenation]

Drove past the Ashwin Pde / West Theb Rd intersection yesterday, seems to be coming along nicely, didn't get any pictures though. Still getting used to that part of South Rd being that wide!

Imagine your surprise when Torrens to Torrens is finished then

I know, can't wait for it!
Does anyone know when the final plan is due out as it was meant to be released in December?

[Norman]

Unfortunately it looks like this plan, just like the northern section plan, will not be released to the public :/

[ChillyPhilly]

Unfortunately it looks like this plan, just like the northern section plan, will not be released to the public :/

How nice and democratic...

[victorious80]

Main contract is in tendering phase. Design will be finalised following award of tender, around middle of the year.
Plan most definitely will be released to public, as part of DPTI's ongoing commitment to stakeholder involvement.

[Will]

Still no action at Darlington.

Actually there has been some preliminary works undertaken, such as drilling core samples.

[rev]

Shouldn't we have a separate thread for Torrens to Torrens? Site works are basically well under way with all the demolitions..

[Ben]

Still no action at Darlington.

Actually there has been some preliminary works undertaken, such as drilling core samples.

I wouldn't really say soil samples is action

[Ben]

The Croydon/South Road Train Overpass is now on Public Consultation. There are a few renders and designs in the document.

http://www.dac.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/ ... ts_opt.pdf

[Nathan]

I still think it would have been better to keep the original concept of keeping the line elevated over Queen/Elizabeth Sts and eliminating the level crossing. Most of the concerns, while valid, could have been addressed by the design. If they went for a brick/stone and iron look (like at Chief St), then that could have easily answered the concerns about visual obstruction and aesthetics. (They look like they've incorporated some brick into the updated plan, although it does look a little odd broken up into slithers with patterned precast concrete and mesh in between.)

[crawf]

That link isn't working for me?

[[Shuz]]

Same here.

They really should be eliminating level crossings at every opportunity they can get.

[Llessur2002]

Not sure - it's really not a busy vehicle route - when the barrier's down it's rare to see more than two or three cars stopped there, even in peak hour. This part of Croydon has a great community feel about it - not just Queen/Elizabeth Street but the park that's right next to Croydon station. It's almost like a village square. An overpass here, however well designed, would change the area dramatically, essentially enclosing it on it's southern boundary. From a visual perspective it would also isolate the businesses south of the rail line - a hairdressers and pilates studio I think - splitting the retail community.

I love Croydon - we visit often on the weekends and whenever we're there we see countless local families either walking together towards the cafe strip or riding their bikes to the little park. You don't see that very often nowadays but it's great when it does happen. It's also evidently really popular with non-locals - why change a winning formula?

For the sake of eliminating a really quiet level crossing I'm not sure it would be worth the risk of harming what is a pretty rare commodity in most Adelaide suburbs - a bustling village-type, family-friendly community atmosphere.

[Nathan]

But it just comes down to design. If an overpass was done in such a way that it integrated with it's surroundings and provided good sight lines and access down Queen/Elizabeth Sts, that I can see that contributing to the area. What if you had space underneath the viaduct for additional small shop, expanding the strip? You could have additional facilities for the small park (such as toilets and fully covered picnic tables), and you could have more pedestrian access between Day Tce and Euston Tce, instead of just at the level crossing. Not to mention, removing the train line from being at grade makes it much safer, particularly for an area where there are a lot of children.

Here's an example of using the space underneath the tracks for something that enhances the area:

[Llessur2002]

Agree that looks awesome - I did think about arches when I read your last post. But - I don't see it happening to anything near as quality an end product as the one in the pics (presume those are heritage arches as opposed to a modern budget-conscious take on heritage arches) and I'm not sure there is the demand for additional retail units to fill them - seeing as there are a further two or three heritage shops on Elizabeth Street which are still standing empty. Other than quirky retail units, I'm not sure what else could be incorporated into an overpass. Perhaps an area for giant and/or tabletop chess games? I've seen this in several places in Europe. Might go down well with the European community in the area.

I'm not against the idea of an overpass just because it's an overpass - if a design was presented showing an overpass which, not only looked good but also contributed to the unique environment of the Elizabeth Street area without simply providing additional empty retail units, or worse - an IGA, I'd think again.

But, just to eliminate one very quiet level crossing, is it really worth significantly adding to the construction costs of an overpass including an elevated station when it might not be needed there in the first place?

Plus, the shorter overpass means at least 5 houses won't have to suddenly come to terms with hundreds to train passengers peering into their gardens every day or open their front door to see an overpass instead of a cute park. If it was absolutely necessary I'd say they'd have to suck it up as I'm not a fan of the NIMBY attitude - but I just can't see that the original proposal was.

[Llessur2002]

Consultation document's back up:

http://www.dac.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/ ... uments.pdf