Improved access at Tonsley as the first road construction works of T2D Project begin
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Works are underway for the first intersection and road upgrade being delivered as part of the $850 million package of broader network upgrades delivered by the River Torrens to Darlington Project.
The Selgar Avenue link road will enhance access to the rapidly-expanding Tonsley Innovation District and to the southbound lanes of South Road.
Construction of the $2.8 million link road is being carried out by local civil engineering company Bardavcol, with completion expected by December 2023.
It is one of the broader network upgrade initiatives – together valued at $850 million and forecast to support 300 jobs a year – that are essential to the proper functioning of the $15.4 billion T2D motorway and wider Adelaide road network both during and after completion of the project.
The initiatives, announced by the Malinauskas Labor Government in December 2022 following the release of the revised T2D Project design, also include resurfacing works on South Road, which are currently underway, and the addition of right-turn lanes from James Congdon Drive citybound onto Sir Donald Bradman Drive.
Once finished, the new Selgar Avenue link road will allow vehicles to make a right turn onto South Road from Selgar Avenue via MAB Circuit and Tonsley Boulevard.
It will also provide another entry point into the Tonsley area from South Road, in addition to the existing Tonsley Boulevard intersection.
Bardavcol, a South Australian business established in 1975, has worked on a wide range of local infrastructure projects, including the recently completed Flagstaff Road Upgrade, Main North Road and Nottage Terrace Intersection Upgrade, and the Munno Para Railway Station.
The 10.5km T2D Project will provide motorists with a nine-minute journey from West Hindmarsh to Darlington, and complete the North-South Corridor’s 78km of non-stop motorway between Gawler and Old Noarlunga.
Quotes attributable to Tom Koutsantonis
The River Torrens to Darlington Project is going to have a profound and positive impact on how we travel in and around Greater Adelaide.
However, the motorway won’t be able to operate at an optimum level and fully serve the needs of South Australians if nearby elements of the road network aren’t also upgraded in a way that complements and supports the project.
To this end, the State Government has started work on the suite of infrastructure upgrade initiatives that will help the new motorway and the wider road network to function properly both during and after construction of the T2D Project.
The extension of Selgar Avenue into the heart of the Tonsley precinct will provide an extra entry point into an area that is today expanding rapidly with commercial and residential development, and which will only become busier in the years ahead.
The building of this two-way link road will also allow those motorists currently unable to turn right from Selgar Avenue onto South Road for a southbound journey to join South Road at the traffic-light intersection with Tonsley Boulevard – thus addressing a legitimate complaint of businesses operating in the Selgar Avenue-Drury Terrace area of Clovelly Park.
I’m very pleased that Bardavcol, a very accomplished local civil construction firm, won the tender for the Selgar Avenue initiative and that South Australians will be carrying out the work on the ground.
This is yet another example of SA companies winning contracts on the T2D Project and related works – a trend that promises to continue for many years to come as the motorway takes shape and nears its scheduled completion date in 2031.
The T2D Project is expected to support, on average, about 5,500 jobs a year during construction.
And the State Government is determined that at least 90 per cent of the project labour will be provided by South Australian workers, with a focus on providing key roles for Aboriginal workers, apprentices, trainees and jobseekers who are long-term unemployed.