[U/C] M2 North-South Motorway

[Llessur2002]

From the footbridge at the end of Elizabeth Street in Croydon.

Looking south:



Looking north:

[SBD]

Move them to the large empty lot on Days Road just behind the Bridgestone center on the corner of Days/Regency.
Use it as a catalyst to move out the industrial sites in that immediate area and redevelop it into housing, as well as the crappy shops across the road.
That entire intersection is a major eyesore.
Could sell the remainder of Polonia that wouldn't be used by the NS corridor to a fuel retailer other then OTR and create some decent competition in that area of the North West.

I find it fascinating that so many South Australians object to buying their fuel from a South Australian family-owned company (OTR) and would rather buy from national public company supermarket chains (Coles and Woolworths). I notice another South Australian family supermarket company (Drakes) has started opening fuel outlets. Drake actually employs more people than OTR according to their websites. Are the AM/PM outlets also SA family-owned?

If they treated their employees the same as the other big companies it would be an easy choice to support the SA company, but unfortunately OTR has a well-deserved reputation for mistreating its staff with practices such as forcing them into traineeships so they can pay them less which can be most generously described as "technically legal".

I've heard bad things at times about the way Coles and Woolworths treat staff too, but my wife worked casual in one for 8 years before we were married. Sometimes I think it is the manager, not the whole company. A quick check for news of mistreatment at OTR gets this story that says they took action over a defamatory report on ABC. Do you have anything more recent that is not anecdotal?

[how good is he]

Anyone know the barrier type/size they will use to separate the North and South bound traffic? I know it will comply but it kinda looks tight for the 6 lanes [dual 3 lanes] added with a dividing barrier.

[Nort]

I find it fascinating that so many South Australians object to buying their fuel from a South Australian family-owned company (OTR) and would rather buy from national public company supermarket chains (Coles and Woolworths). I notice another South Australian family supermarket company (Drakes) has started opening fuel outlets. Drake actually employs more people than OTR according to their websites. Are the AM/PM outlets also SA family-owned?

If they treated their employees the same as the other big companies it would be an easy choice to support the SA company, but unfortunately OTR has a well-deserved reputation for mistreating its staff with practices such as forcing them into traineeships so they can pay them less which can be most generously described as "technically legal".

I've heard bad things at times about the way Coles and Woolworths treat staff too, but my wife worked casual in one for 8 years before we were married. Sometimes I think it is the manager, not the whole company. A quick check for news of mistreatment at OTR gets this story that says they took action over a defamatory report on ABC. Do you have anything more recent that is not anecdotal?

My own experience is anecdotal in that I have known 2 good friends who directly experienced that situation.

[Norman]

Keep it on topic please guys.

Thanks for the photos Llessur.

[SBD]

Keep it on topic please guys.

Thanks for the photos Llessur.

Trying to keep on-topic, does anyone know if there is a plan to provide service centres (any brand) anywhere along the corridor? It will be a relatively long trip from one end to the other with no fuel, coffee, food, toilet or rest areas visible and easily accessible from the motorway once it is completed.

A news story on ABC yesterday said "According to the SA Road Transport Association (SARTA), Federal Government requirements stipulate there must be an available rest station for truckies every 80 kilometres."

[rhino]

Federal Government requirements stipulate there must be an available rest station for truckies every 80 kilometres."

They should make an exit at Café de Vilis at Mile End South, and then 80km further on is Nuriootpa and the end of the controlled access road

[rev]

Move them to the large empty lot on Days Road just behind the Bridgestone center on the corner of Days/Regency.
Use it as a catalyst to move out the industrial sites in that immediate area and redevelop it into housing, as well as the crappy shops across the road.
That entire intersection is a major eyesore.
Could sell the remainder of Polonia that wouldn't be used by the NS corridor to a fuel retailer other then OTR and create some decent competition in that area of the North West.

I find it fascinating that so many South Australians object to buying their fuel from a South Australian family-owned company (OTR) and would rather buy from national public company supermarket chains (Coles and Woolworths). I notice another South Australian family supermarket company (Drakes) has started opening fuel outlets. Drake actually employs more people than OTR according to their websites. Are the AM/PM outlets also SA family-owned?

It’s got nothing to do with who owns it, it’s got everything to do with competition. It doesn’t matter if it’s a local SA company or national or multinational. If there is no competition the consumer gets screwed.

[Brucetiki]

Keep it on topic please guys.

Thanks for the photos Llessur.

Trying to keep on-topic, does anyone know if there is a plan to provide service centres (any brand) anywhere along the corridor? It will be a relatively long trip from one end to the other with no fuel, coffee, food, toilet or rest areas visible and easily accessible from the motorway once it is completed.

A news story on ABC yesterday said "According to the SA Road Transport Association (SARTA), Federal Government requirements stipulate there must be an available rest station for truckies every 80 kilometres."

Wonder if the Bolivar OTR will have a relatively simple connection to the Northern Connector?

[Grungle]

Wonder if the Bolivar OTR will have a relatively simple connection to the Northern Connector?

It doesn't look particularly simple. There may be a right turn into OTR after the roundabout if you're heading south on the Northern Connector, but northbound traffic would be harder.

[Goodsy]

after another death at that intersection and the RAA starting to ask questions I'm starting to think there might be a redesign coming

[EBG]

Thanks for the photos Llessur 2002. Does any body know if this is the final finish for the side walls. If so it looks pretty crappy.

[Norman]

Thanks for the photos Llessur 2002. Does any body know if this is the final finish for the side walls. If so it looks pretty crappy.

It will at least be cleaned up a bit, I can't remember if they are installing panels though.

[SBD]

Wonder if the Bolivar OTR will have a relatively simple connection to the Northern Connector?

It doesn't look particularly simple. There may be a right turn into OTR after the roundabout if you're heading south on the Northern Connector, but northbound traffic would be harder.

That's an area I was wondering about, but despite the complexity they have introduced, it still looks like it would be pretty tight turns for a B-double or bigger, turning across accelerating traffic, and completely out-of-the-way for northbound.

Service centres usually have long deceleration and acceleration lanes, and are often built on a hill to help that. They also need plenty of space for parking trucks and caravans as well as cars. There is no space between Darlington and Wingfield that I can see, and if there was, it would involve more city traffic than just pull off and pull on to the highway again.

There's a truck parking area between Daveyston and Sheaoak Log southbound, but I don't think it even has a toilet shelter, just a picnic table with a roof for caravanners to eat their sandwich and drink tea from their thermos. The first place on the highway to offer any real services is Truro.

Port Wakefield Road is better served with Lower Light, Dublin and Port Wakefield offering services.

[Llessur2002]

Thanks for the photos Llessur 2002. Does any body know if this is the final finish for the side walls. If so it looks pretty crappy.

It will at least be cleaned up a bit, I can't remember if they are installing panels though.

Presumably for noise attenuation purposes the rough finish of the shotcrete would be preferable to smooth cast panels. Perhaps this has something to do with this being the chosen finish.

The Torrens Junction rail underpass also has unfinished shotcrete and pile sides - apparently this was a graffiti deterrence measure.