News & Discussion: Roads & Traffic

[ChillyPhilly]

FYI.

[NTRabbit]

FYI.

I don't understand, how is that different from what's there already? and why does it even need upgarding?

[SBD]

FYI.

I don't understand, how is that different from what's there already? and why does it even need upgarding?

There will be more lanes on Portrush Road - it goes from two straight and one right turn each side to three straight and two right turn lanes each side. I'm not sure if Magill Road also gets wider or if the turning lanes get longer.

Presumably just out of the picture, the three-lane bits merge back into two lanes, clear of the intersection.

[ChillyPhilly]

Apparently the Shell service station at the SW corner of the Portrush/Magill Roads intersection has been closed for quite a while.

Upgrades to the SE corner are not possible as there is an electricity substation. NE corner features a recently renovated OTR (although bulldozing that wouldn't be so bad), with the Smokemart warehouse behind that.

NW corner would be possible to utilise for an upgrade also.


Edit: I still don't know how this project is costing $90 million. It's too suss.

[TrebleSketch]

FYI.

I don't understand, how is that different from what's there already? and why does it even need upgarding?

There will be more lanes on Portrush Road - it goes from two straight and one right turn each side to three straight and two right turn lanes each side. I'm not sure if Magill Road also gets wider or if the turning lanes get longer.

Presumably just out of the picture, the three-lane bits merge back into two lanes, clear of the intersection.

It is the western side of Portrush Road that the construction will take place. Houses, businesses, and the empty Shell (bought by another company, apparently???) will be demolished to extend the road by 3 lanes to the west. As it is currently 2 lanes on each side (plus 1 lane for turning right). Magill Rd will be mostly untouched. Judging from the render, plus they did just rebitchumen majority of the road too. The childcare centre recently had a half a million dollar renovation after being there for a few years, the government apparently will compensate half. If they won't take it, they'll be compulsorily acquired. Same with the other businesses further north (on the west side).

Apparently the Shell service station at the SW corner of the Portrush/Magill Roads intersection has been closed for quite a while.

Upgrades to the SE corner are not possible as there is an electricity substation. NE corner features a recently renovated OTR (although bulldozing that wouldn't be so bad), with the Smokemart warehouse behind that.

NW corner would be possible to utilise for an upgrade also.


Edit: I still don't know how this project is costing $90 million. It's too suss.

The west side of the intersection is the part to go, they'll be knocking down the childcare centre and more. Plus the old petrol station and the car dealership, maybe even the houses further south. Maybe most of the cost will be the purchase of properties, then planning, before the actual works

Plus, I do wonder if this project will be jumbled up with the current rorts scandal. Since the majority of the intersection projects proposed cost way more than it's normally and more.

[Waewick]

There was an article in one of the messengers which has up to 20 properties being acquired for the upgrade. Plus the servo plus the childcare centre.

The childcare centre was a $1m + no sure what the servo was, but you can see where a budget of $98m is coming from.

The article had one guy saying he we offered 500k (490), thats 10M in acquisition costs on the houses assume 500k is the average, which I doubt.

[Patrick_27]

There was an article in one of the messengers which has up to 20 properties being acquired for the upgrade. Plus the servo plus the childcare centre.

The childcare centre was a $1m + no sure what the servo was, but you can see where a budget of $98m is coming from.

The article had one guy saying he we offered 500k (490), thats 10M in acquisition costs on the houses assume 500k is the average, which I doubt.

If property acquisition is a big factor here, why have planning officials allowed for OTR to rebuild, the childcare centre to upgrade and for the Spotlight building to go up (these have all happened in the past three to five years), these plans would have been in the pipeline for years?

Also the render of the upgrade doesn't seem to address the massive issue this intersection causes for outbound city traffic...

[Norman]

these plans would have been in the pipeline for years?

Given the amount of detail that is out there about this project, I really doubt it. It would have been weeks, months tops.

The Federal Government was handing out hundreds of millions of dollars for 'congestion-busting' projects. They had to put something in as fast as possible.

[SRW]

these plans would have been in the pipeline for years?

Given the amount of detail that is out there about this project, I really doubt it. It would have been weeks, months tops.

The Federal Government was handing out hundreds of millions of dollars for 'congestion-busting' projects. They had to put something in as fast as possible.

Also note that this and the Fullarton/Cross intersection upgrades cost roughly the same as was earmarked for trams in Turnbull's planned pre-poll budget -- before he was rolled; before the state libs put the kibosh on more trams; and, before the fed Libs became desperately concerned about losing Pyne's old electorate (in which both intersections are conveniently located). Which is all to say, this is likely very ad hoc.

[bits]

The otr and spotlight are not part of the land acquisition.
The child care centre is the only new significant thing in the way.

I still don't see a better way for these land purchases to occur. They announced what they wanted to do, allocated funding and bought properties at that point.
How do you purchase properties before you have a plan or allocate funding?

5 years ago I am sure you would be pointing at another property that was recently redeveloped and that it should have been purchased 5 years earlier and then you would be bumping into more recently renovated properties.

It is such an illogical argument that all property would be in a neglected state at purchase.
Lucky you lot are not the government or a single intersection upgrade would be a 30 year plan of property acquisition and wasteland neighbourhoods the entire project.

[Westside]

The otr and spotlight are not part of the land acquisition.
The child care centre is the only new significant thing in the way.

I still don't see a better way for these land purchases to occur. They announced what they wanted to do, allocated funding and bought properties at that point.
How do you purchase properties before you have a plan or allocate funding?

5 years ago I am sure you would be pointing at another property that was recently redeveloped and that it should have been purchased 5 years earlier and then you would be bumping into more recently renovated properties.

It is such an illogical argument that all property would be in a neglected state at purchase.
Lucky you lot are not the government or a single intersection upgrade would be a 30 year plan of property acquisition and wasteland neighbourhoods the entire project.

I don't think it's property acquisition per se that people are against, it's the fact that up to 20 properties may be acquired for what is essentially 2 extra lanes. Let's be honest, it's a relatively low priority solution and merely a band aid that fits within no broader scope of works.

For the price of this and other intersection upgrades, you could just about grade separate the Belair/freight line at Cross Rd and start to encourage more heavy vehicles off this intersection all together. However, there is no vision in this state, so random road projects like this somehow bubble up to the surface.

[SRW]

Not that it wasn't already obvious during the election campaign, but the $3 billion 'Urban Congestion Fund' from which the Fullarton/Cross and Magill/Portrush intersections were funded was pork barrelled to the tune of 83% towards Coalition and marginal seats: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-23/ ... s/11992612

[arki]

It appears it is now 47 homes/businesses and not 20 which will be demolished for this 'upgrade'.

Almost 50 properties to be demolished for $98m Portrush and Magill Rd intersection upgrade
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenge ... 127434a86a

[[Shuz]]

Why is this even needed? This is just overkill. That money could have been so much better spent on more useful and worthy 'congestion busting' initiatives.

[ml69]

Why is this even needed? This is just overkill. That money could have been so much better spent on more useful and worthy 'congestion busting' initiatives.

Have you ever driven on this section of road at peak hour? I do it every weekday.

If you have, you would understand why it’s required.

Apparently 62,000 vehicles per day use this intersection.