South Road

Ms CLANCY (Elder) (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Can the minister please inform the house on progress in delivering a nonstop South Road?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:43): I thank the member for Elder for her question, because she is very keen to make sure her community gets access to a nonstop South Road for a couple of reasons: to get the traffic off South Road and into the tunnels, and of course to improve the amenity of the local community.

It is a record infrastructure build over the next four years—$27.3 billion dollars, which is a remarkable number—and we have commenced main construction works on the nonstop South Road, which is the largest and most complex infrastructure project in South Australian history.

As part of that, heavy machinery—for those of you who have noticed—is already on site, constructing the massive, concrete precast manufacturing facility at Waterloo Corner, a significant milestone in the project. This precast facility will supply more than 55,000 locally made tunnel-lining segments—segments that each and every South Australian will at some point in their life probably drive through and see for themselves—made here in South Australia. The concrete slab that forms the base of the shed of the facility is almost complete.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: That must have been a really deep and informed comment. Frames have been raised, and 500 tonnes of Australian steel is being used for the shed, all of which has been sourced locally. Once built, the concrete plant will supply 280,000 cubic metres of concrete required for the segments, which is the equivalent of 112 Olympic-size swimming pools. Once manufactured, these segments will be transported to the tunnel boring machine launch areas, where they will they be used to construct the tunnel sections of a nonstop South Road.

So as the tunnel boring machine is drilling through the roads, the tunnel segments go up in its wake. It is a remarkable process that will see the nonstop South Road progress. Each ring is formed using 10 precast concrete segments, with each segment weighing 12 tonnes. The precast facility is expected to start segment production later this year, with the first tunnel segments to be installed by the middle of next year.

The facility will create jobs here locally for South Australians. It is expected that at peak construction, 60 workers will be working on the site of the precast facility. Local company Ballestrin was awarded the contract for the concrete slab works, with the construction of the shed by another local company, Ahrens. Earthworks at the site, which commenced earlier this year, are being undertaken by a local Indigenous company, Karta. The Torrens to Darlington project has committed, as a result of our election commitment, to 90 per cent of the labour hours being undertaken by South Australians as well as a minimum 6 per cent of Indigenous employment.

These are lofty ambitions and goals for one of the most important infrastructure programs this state will ever undertake. A nonstop South Road project will allow motorists to bypass 21 sets of traffic lights and save up to 40 minutes of travel time from the River Torrens to Darlington. When you equate that from Gawler in the northern suburbs all the way through to Darlington, we are talking potentially an hour in savings.

These are dramatic savings in time, productivity and efficiency in freight, making sure that South Australia continues to move. South Australia is the last mainland jurisdiction in the country to operate on a grid network, which means it is putting pressure on things like Winston Avenue. It is putting pressure on Brighton Road, Marion Road, Goodwood Road and Unley Road because South Road is so congested, with the average speed now only 25 km/h in the peak. This is a vital project, and we are getting on with it.