South Road Upgrades

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (14:34): Thank you, sir; I am working extremely hard today. My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Can the—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: I work hard every day. Can the minister provide the house with an update on recent and current works on the Torrens to Torrens project?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:34): I would like to thank the member for Colton for his question, which I know is of particular interest to him, as well as perhaps to you, Mr Speaker, as a local member. Members would be well aware that the state government's progress on the $896 million Torrens to Torrens project, which has been jointly funded with the commonwealth, is delivering a significant upgrade to the South Road corridor, particularly at the intersections of Grange Road and Port Road and now, through a robust competitive tendering process and cost allocation, underneath Torrens Road as well.

The project is being delivered by the T2T Alliance, which is the alliance between South Australian civil construction firm York Civil as well as Leighton Contractors and Aurecon. They have been engaged in broad community engagement, ensuring local residents and commuters are aware of the works that are being undertaken on the ground. At the northernmost end of the project, community feedback is currently being sought on the options for the Pym Street intersection. Mr Speaker, as you would be aware, Pym Street is the intersection immediately north of the Torrens Road intersection.

This intersection was brought into consideration after the announced extension to the project late last year, taking the project underneath Torrens Road as well as Grange and Port roads. Options for the configuration of this intersection were uploaded onto the T2T Alliance website this week, and I strongly encourage residents and local commuters to examine the options and provide their comments. These options can be found at www.t2talliance.com.au and, based on community feedback, a final configuration for this intersection will be decided and communicated to residents and commuters alike.

I would like to thank the local residents who have already offered their feedback and contributions thus far on this particular part of the project. The benefits of this project, though, go further than on-road traffic. They include improvements to pedestrian and cycling access which, of course, has been a key focus for the state government. At the southernmost end of the project, we recently announced the commencement of the construction of a $2 million pedestrian and cycling bridge in West Hindmarsh. This bridge, located on McDonnell Avenue, spans 30 metres across the River Torrens, providing improved access for residents in West Hindmarsh to the Brickworks shopping precinct.

I now report to the house that this bridge has been completed and shortly will be opened for public access in the coming weeks. Local residents, pedestrians and cyclists will now benefit from improved access to local facilities, such as the Outer Harbor Greenway; the Thebarton Community Centre; St Joseph's School; local shopping precincts, including that Brickworks precinct; Thebarton Senior College; Queen Street; and the Croydon Railway Station. Following the completion, landscaping works will begin to beautify the surrounding area and provide improved amenity for local residents.

I would like to thank the South Australian company SMB Civil for their work on this bridge project, employing 25 South Australian workers over the period of construction. SMB Civil, a Mount Gambier based company, was delighted to be given an opportunity to be involved in delivering an infrastructure project of this nature, and I understand that reported to the parliament that it provided the opportunity to give useful work experience to a young South Australian trainee engineer throughout the life of the project.

If members, residents, commuters or, indeed, anyone else would like further updates about the Torrens to Torrens project and the different elements of the project as it progresses, they can subscribe for email updates or call the community information line on 1300 794 899.