Public Works Committee: Main North Road Intersection with Kings Road and McIntyre Road Upgrade

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (11:21): I move:

That the 51^st report of the committee for the Fifty-Fourth Parliament, entitled 'Main North Road intersection with Kings Road and McIntyre Road upgrade', be noted.

On 20 February 2020, witnesses presented at a Public Works Committee hearing regarding the Main North Road intersection with Kings Road and McIntyre Road upgrade project. The committee has been informed that the Main North Road, Kings Road and McIntyre Road project considers a major traffic junction and also involves the intersection of primary freight routes. Main North Road and McIntyre Road, as you will know as well, Mr Acting Speaker, have been identified as major cycling routes. The existing intersection of these three roads is operating at full capacity during peak travel times, and over the last five-year period there have regrettably been 77 reported crashes.

This intersection is considered strategically significant, and it is a vital link between the Adelaide central business district, the northern metropolitan region and the northern part of the state, and of course also for interstate transport and freight movements. The proposed upgrade to the Main North Road intersection with Kings Road and McIntyre Road has an estimated total cost of $13 million, with a 50 per cent funding contribution from the commonwealth and the remainder of the funds being contributed by the state. The upgrade to the intersection aims to improve road safety, reduce traffic congestion, improve transport efficiency as well as support the economic development of the state. It is contemplated or anticipated that there will be significant safety benefits from this project as well.

The scope of works for the intersection upgrade includes road widening of Main North Road to accommodate dual right-turn lanes with greater capacity on each approach; the installation of three through lanes on Main North Road between Freda Thompson Place and Kings Road; three through lanes on the Main North Road on approach to Kesters Road from McIntyre Road; and new and upgraded traffic signals, road lights, road markings and drainage. The committee has been informed that construction works for the intersection upgrade are expected to occur from late 2020 to mid-2021, and the operation of the intersection in its upgraded form is expected from mid-2021 onwards.

The Public Works Committee has examined written and oral evidence in relation to this project, and the committee has been assured by DPTI officials that acquittals have been received from the Department of Treasury and Finance, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the Crown Solicitor that the works and procedures are lawful.

The committee is satisfied that the proposal has been subject to the appropriate agency oversight, consultation and examination, including examination by our committee, and meets the criteria for examination of projects, as described in the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991. Based on the evidence considered and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the scope of the proposed public works.

Mr BROWN (Playford) (11:24): I rise to express my support for this particular project as well, although technically this project is not in my electorate: it is on the boundary side of the electorate of the member for Wright. I am sure I will also be expressing his support for this project. This intersection has been a serious traffic blackspot. Only about three years ago there was a horrific incident at this intersection, involving a Mawson Lakes resident dying as a result of an accident involving a stolen car, which I know we are all very sorry about. It caused quite a lot of concern amongst local residents. I congratulate the government on spending money in this area for safety upgrades—they are sorely needed. I recommend to the government that they continue to spend money on safety upgrades for traffic in the local area, and please do not just spend money by putting in extra traffic cameras.

Ms LUETHEN (King) (11:25): It is with much pleasure that I rise to support the Public Works Committee recommendation on this piece of work, and I thank them for all the work they have done. It is awesome to contribute towards this discussion because, over my time talking to constituents in King, time and again people have raised their frustration with the two-lane, three-lane, two-lane chaos that happens on Main North Road, and some of that is addressed by this investment.

A summary of the works is that Main North Road, Kings Road and McIntyre Road have been identified as a major traffic route and primary freight route, and the existing intersection of these roads is already operating at full capacity during peak times. Over the last five-year period there have been 77 reported crashes.

The intersection is a strategically significant one in the movement of people and goods, and the intersection is a vital link for Adelaide's central business district, the northern metropolitan region, the northern part of the state and also interstate. The proposed upgrade to the Main North Road intersection with Kings Road and McIntyre Road aims to improve road safety, reduce congestion, improve transport efficiency and support the economic development of the state.

Specifically, the proposed intersection upgrade will involve road widening of Main North Road to accommodate dual right-turn lanes, with greater capacity on each approach; the installation of three through lanes on Main North Road between Freda Thompson Place and Kings Road; three through lanes on Main North Road on approach from Kesters Road from McIntyre Road; and, new and upgraded traffic signals, road lights, road marking and drainage. DPTI has advised that the approved budget for the intersection upgrade, the investment being made, is $13 million, with funding contributions from the Australian government and the South Australian government. It is estimated that construction for the upgrade of the intersection will occur from late 2020 to mid-2021, with operation of the intersection expected from mid-2021 onwards.

As I mentioned, addressing the two-lane, three-lane issue is something we have been waiting for for a very long time. DPTI has advised that, with an average daily traffic count of approximately 81,550 vehicles through this intersection, it is currently operating at capacity in both the am and pm peak periods. The proposed upgrade will involve the road widening of Main North Road to accommodate the dual right-turn lanes and greater capacity on each approach, the installation of three through lanes on Main North Road and Kings Road and three through lanes on Main North Road around Kesters Road and McIntyre Road.

Main North Road, McIntyre Road and Kings Road are all under the care, control and management of DPTI, and all other intersecting side roads are under the care, control and management of the City of Salisbury. DPTI has advised that land acquisition is being undertaken to accommodate the road widening on Main North Road to enable the installation of the dual right-turn lanes on both approaches. The proposed treatment includes:

widening of Main North Road and widening around Kings Road;

widening of Main North Road, with the installation of an additional right-turn lane into McIntyre Road and three through lanes heading north on Main North Road;

installation of an additional through lane on Main North Road between Freda Thomson Place and Kings Road;

installation of an additional through lane on Main North Road between McIntyre Road and Kesters Road;

extension of dual right-turn lanes heading north-east onto McIntyre Road;

separation of left-turn traffic from Main North Road into Kings Road and left-turn traffic from Kings Road onto Lawrence Hargrave Way;

new and updated pedestrian ramps and footpaths on the intersection;

dedicated bicycle lanes on both approaches to Main North Road, which is also being raised as a key hazard by my constituents; and

new and upgraded traffic signals, road lighting, line marking and drainage.

In terms of community consultation, DPTI has prepared a community and stakeholder engagement plan to ensure relevant stakeholders, local residents and property owners will be consulted. This includes consultation with the City of Salisbury and detailed consultation with local residents, landowners and local businesses. DPTI has advised that the consultation for the project will continue to include regular and ongoing discussions with the City of Salisbury. More information is available on the DPTI website at the following address: www.dpti.sa.gov.au/kingsmcintyreroad. DPTI has advised that the project team is also available to brief community groups on request.

I also want to mention that DPTI has advised that measures will be undertaken to minimise impacts to Aboriginal heritage, in compliance with DPTI's Cultural Heritage Guidelines and the Aboriginal Heritage Act. Of course, it is very important that the intersection upgrade will be assessed and managed in accordance with DPTI's environmental impact assessment processes and recognised environmental approval procedures. Key assessments will include the vegetation survey, site contamination, road traffic noise and, as I mentioned, Aboriginal heritage.

In summary, DPTI has advised that the intersection is considered strategically significant, and I know it certainly is by my constituents in King. The movement of people and goods is an important link for people throughout South Australia and beyond. To address the identified issues, the upgrade to the Main North Road intersection with Kings Road and McIntyre Road will include road widening and is expected to reduce congestion, improve road safety, improve transport efficiency and support the economic development of the state and, as I mentioned, take a lot of stress away from people.

The public value of this proposed project will deliver efficient and reliable travel, a safer road network for all road users and jobs and new employment opportunities for the state of South Australia. I thank the Public Works Committee for proposing this and for supporting it. I look forward to the future works.

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (11:33): I also wish to speak on this really significant project for the area, the Main North Road intersection with Kings Road and McIntyre Road upgrade, the 51^st report of the Public Works Committee. It is certainly something that, as a committee, we examined thoroughly, and we looked at the proposal and the efficacy of the application of taxpayer funds at this intersection. In terms of the intersection, both Main North Road and McIntyre Road are major traffic routes and primary freight routes, so really providing a link between the CBD and the north. As the member for King outlined, it is also a link between her community and the community of Newland through to this area.

When I used to live out that side of town, I went through this intersection quite a lot. Certainly, as you are driving out from the CBD, as the member for King described, there are three lanes going to two and then going to three. It is surprising how, even though there are speed limits there—you can travel more than the 60 km/h—quite often you have to slow down because you have merging traffic and that does cause delays. We were looking as a committee at improvements here, and if it can be three lanes, that was certainly something identified as being important.

Interestingly, the member for King also talked about cyclists who go through there. Because of the busyness of this intersection, we also looked at cycling and what can be done there. In terms of, unfortunately, crash statistics, as has been mentioned previously, because it is such a high-use intersection, there have been a number of crashes in the last five-year period between 2014 and 2018. In fact, there have been 77 reported crashes at this location. Many of them were property damage. I think the report outlines that in 51 of those there was property damage, but then there were injuries as well: 23 minor injuries, two serious injuries and, unfortunately, one fatality, which no-one ever likes to see.

Of those crash types, a lot of them were rear end, and I think that speaks to the fact that there is a lot of traffic going through there and having to slow down. It has certainly been identified by DPTI that at peak periods the intersection has reached capacity. In fact, the statistics provided to us were that approximately 81,550 vehicles go through this intersection on a daily basis, the annual average daily traffic count, meaning that it is at capacity.

If you look at the flow of the traffic travelling along Main North Road in a north-easterly direction, it is 48,500, and on the south-westerly route it is 51,500. The traffic going the other way across that intersection is 30,900 from Kings Road and 32,200 along McIntyre Road. Of that traffic, between 3.5 per cent and 4.7 per cent is commercial vehicles. That, obviously, is important from a freight point of view. With the defence industry building at Osborne, you can only expect that to grow, so that is one of the justifications for this intersection upgrade.

In terms of what this proposed upgrade is looking at, it is looking at accommodating dual right-turn lanes on each approach and the installation of three lanes on Main North Road as well, so we can talk about that in detail. The committee did look at what the ownership is around there, and some land acquisition has been undertaken by DPTI to accommodate this road widening, to enable the installation of these dual right-turn lanes on both approaches.

If I move now more specifically to the scope of the intersection upgrade, it involves widening of Main North Road and the installation of an additional right-turn lane into Kings Road and three through lanes heading south on Main North Road. It also involves the widening of Main North Road, with the installation of an additional right-turn lane into McIntyre Road and three through lanes heading north onto Main North Road.

The installation of an additional through lane on Main North Road between Freda Thompson Place and Kings Road, which the member for King touched on, is going to be very well received in her community by people travelling along there. There will also be the installation of an additional through lane on Main North Road between McIntyre Road and Kesters Road for the south-west bound, extension of the dual right-turn lanes heading north-east from McIntyre Road into Main North Road, and separation of the left-turn traffic from traffic coming along Main North Road looking to turn left into Kings Road, so separating that from the through traffic coming from McIntyre Road. Left-turn traffic from Kings Road onto Lawrence Hargrave Way will also be separated.

Additionally, there will be new and upgraded pedestrian ramps and footpaths around the intersection. Of course, when there are busy intersections like this, while there is a lot of traffic, pedestrians certainly need to be catered for as well. There are also dedicated bike lanes on both approaches of Main North Road, again looking at the cycling aspect of this intersection. All these improvements will necessitate looking at new and upgraded traffic signals, road lighting, line marking and drainage as well.

Drainage infrastructure will need to be improved to manage the stormwater flows because of the extent of the works. Obviously, there is more asphalting going on so, when there is rain, this will need to be looked after by the proper stormwater infrastructure. This will include side-entry pits and stormwater culverts to manage those water flows with both new and upgraded kerbs and guttering as well.

In terms of the project justification, I have alluded to the fact that the crash statistics and also the capacity during peak periods highlight the need for this intersection to be upgraded and certainly justify this project. The signal phasing that will result from this will also help with traffic flow. Certainly, the intersection is considered strategically significant in regard to the movement of people and goods. It is an important link between Adelaide's central business district and also the northern metropolitan region. Not only that, it is also an important link to the northern areas of the state, including traffic going through there on their way to Gawler and beyond, and interstate traffic as well.

I will talk briefly to the costs. In terms of what we are looking at here, the committee approved the budget of $13 million for this upgrade with funding contributions from the Australian government at 50 per cent, and the South Australian government at 50 per cent as well. In terms of timing for this, the budget has been put over the 2019-20 and also the 2020-21 financial years and we are looking to have this project completed during 2021.

The economic evaluation that was done on this looked at the benefits of this intersection upgrade and then compared it to the $13 million cost. The benefit evaluation looked at the upgrade's impact on road crashes, the cost of property damage, as well as physical damage to people and what the upgrade will do for travel times for the intersection. Looking at that, it came out with a benefit-cost ratio of 12.2, so it is certainly a positive and well spent use of funds.

For that reason, after looking at both written and oral evidence that we received in relation to this Main North Road intersection upgrade at Kings Road and McIntyre Road, the committee was satisfied that the proposal has been subject to the proper and appropriate agency consultation and is a good use of taxpayer funds, and recommends that the proposed public work proceed.

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (11:43): I thank those members who have made a contribution to the debate in relation to this very important and significant upgrade of public infrastructure. I acknowledge the member for Playford, who was speaking on behalf of a colleague but also emphasising the significance and value of this project to the north-east and to members of his community as well.

To the member for Morphett, thank you for your contribution, your diligence and commitment to the Public Works Committee. I have often said in this place that we not only benefit from the member for Morphett's intelligence and insight but also, on the Public Works Committee, from his capacity as a engineer and his professional training and experience. That is a forum, an environment where that experience can be brought to bear, and that value can be particular value derived from his professional experience and education.

It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge, too, the hard work of our executive officers on the Public Works Committee. There is a significant workflow through the committee and our executive officers are particularly diligent in ensuring that we process that work in a way that best discharges our functions as committee members and certainly my function as Presiding Member.

It is also necessary and important to reflect on the commitment of the member for King to this project. This is a very significant project in her community. She has been a diligent and focused advocate not just for this upgrade but for so many other upgrades that have been needed in King for many, many years. Now we have a member in the member for King who is 100 per cent focused on the interests of her community. Her knowledge, commitment and advocacy and her approach to me, to other members of the committee and to members of the cabinet, who work inside this government to ensure that this project is fully and properly funded with $13 million, need to be celebrated and acknowledged in this place.

I am hopeful, too, that the member's constituents are made well aware of the committee's gratitude for her advocacy but also her determined focus on ensuring that this project proceeds. It is absolutely needed. There have been more than 70 significant crashes at this location. Every crash is significant. There is no doubt that this project has been needed for many years. There are more than 81,000 vehicle movements through this intersection annually. The member for King and the member for Morphett ably and in detail described the traffic situation that faces motorists passing through this intersection.

The member for King reflected in detail on the improvements that her advocacy and the commitment of our government and the commonwealth government will ensure are appropriately addressed. May I say, too, that the member for King is a most efficient member. It is not that she raises projects in a haphazard way; instead, she raises them in a focused and orderly way to ensure that the resources of government can be brought to bear efficiently and effectively and at the time that they need to be brought to bear across the budget cycle. For a new member, that is quite a skill.

Mr Brown: You have so much to learn from her, then.

Mr CREGAN: I do. I have a good deal to learn, and much of it can be learned from the member for King, can I say.

The Hon. A. Piccolo: You're not stopping there, are you? There is more to say.

Mr CREGAN: There is a good deal more to say, member for Light.

Members interjecting:

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Cowdrey): Order!

Mr CREGAN: What I would say now is that your government had an opportunity when you were in power—

Members interjecting:

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Cowdrey): Order!

Mr CREGAN: —to fix this, and you did not for 16 years. What is even more shameful is that you are familiar with the problems at this intersection, but I cannot say in this place exactly what it is that you have done to bring this project forward. That is a matter that I will reflect on in this place with some focus and some concentration.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Cowdrey): Member for Kavel—

Mr CREGAN: So if you want to interject, member for Light, you will receive a contribution from me on that subject.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Cowdrey): Member for Kavel, I remind you to direct your remarks through the Chair.

Members interjecting:

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Cowdrey): Order!

Mr CREGAN: Mr Acting Speaker, thank you for your protection.

The Hon. A. Piccolo interjecting:

Mr CREGAN: You had your opportunity, member for Light, but of course you did not wish to make a contribution. Now I am making mine, which in part focuses on the contribution of members not only in this place but also members of the committee, of which you have historically been one. Thank you, Mr Acting Speaker, for your indulgence and your protection where necessary.

Motion carried.