Sensational-Adelaide.com

The South Australian Government is opposed funding the ongoing maintenance of a new River Torrens footbridge for Adelaide City Council.

SA Transport Minister Patrick Conlon has dismissed paying the council.

"We're not very attracted to that because we act on behalf of the taxpayer. Why would we impose a burden on the taxpayer if we didn't have to?" he said.

Deputy Lord Mayor David Plumridge said the council owned and controlled the other public bridges in the city.

mattblack wrote:Most of the increased income that will be generated by the redevelopment of the precinct will flow to the ACC through carparking, increased business activity in the CBD and rates. $20,000 is peanuts to what will be coming in.

Concern about width of planned $40 million bridge across the River Torrens to Adelaide Oval
Jesper Fjeldstad
adelaidenow
November 08, 201210:00PM

THE footbridge across the River Torrens to Adelaide Oval is planned to be only 8m wide - up to 4m narrower than football and cricket leaders wanted.

Both SANFL president John Olsen and his SACA counterpart Ian McLachlan asked for a wider bridge, but now fear the $40 million development will be a bottleneck as an estimated 24,000 people seek to use it as they leave the Oval on busy days.

Planning, Transport and Infrastructure department chief executive Rod Hook has moved to ease their concerns, saying best advice had recommended the narrower version.

Mr Hook conceded there would be a squeeze at times but that had to be balanced against having the appropriate design to fit into the city environment.

Mr Olsen said the SMA, a joint venture between football and cricket, had written to the Government requesting a 10m-wide bridge while internationally credentialled consultants had had advised Mr McLachlan 12m was the ideal size, which prompted him to write to the Government.

It came after the initial request from the sporting bodies is understood to have been as wide as 18m.

Among football and crickets chief concerns were:

* Fears people would get frustrated with the bridge and spill up King William Rd as an alternative, creating traffic congestion.
* People being discouraged from using public transport after the bridge was designed to encourage people to take trains from Adelaide Railway Station.
* Simmering frustration among users of the bridge because of the slow-moving flow of traffic.

"We have not been officially advised about this, but it (8m) is too narrow," Mr McLachlan said. "I am extremely disappointed.

"We expected to be briefed about this at the next SMA board meeting this month."

Mr Olsen, speaking from overseas, said he was disappointed with the decision and feared the sporting bodies had no recourse.

"Once it was taken out of the Adelaide Oval budget, I don't think there's anything we can do," Mr Olsen said.

But Mr Hook was confident his office had made the right call, and said it had not been a decision that had been taken lightly. Nor was it made narrower purely as a cost-saving measure.

"We had it well researched," Mr Hook said.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 6513295032

omada wrote:FFS this is getting ridiculous, just build the goddamned footbridge.

omada wrote:FFS this is getting ridiculous, just build the goddamned footbridge. Oh and $40 Million now? $40 Million!