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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-10-29 Daily Xml
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Tram Grade Separation Project

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (15:21): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Will the minister please provide an update on the tram grade separation project?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Autism) (15:21): I thank the member for his question and interest in this transformative project. Recently, I visited the site and was amazed to see the progress that had been made. If you drive down South Road you may have seen the new South Road tram overpass bridge has been moved into position. This bridge, as many have said, resembles Sydney Harbour Bridge. Particularly the local member, Jayne Stinson, has been very active in advocating for this project.

It is a 95-metre long arch bridge that is 16 metres high and weighs about 1,200 tonnes. It is the largest single-span bridge that we have in South Australia. Between the two supports, no beams are underneath to support this single-span bridge. It was constructed next to South Road and was moved into place by transporters, which is a unique thing to be able to do for this project, to have the space to build next to the construction site. To see this in motion was quite remarkable. Over 400 people registered to go and watch this incredible piece of infrastructure be moved into place.

The bridge has now been secured and it forms part of the 250-metre long overpass, which also includes 12 beams, each around 30 metres long and weighing up to 60 tonnes. This major milestone follows recent beam lifts at the other overpass sites at Cross Road, Marion Road and Morphett Road and the removal of the boom gates, that have now been taken out and replaced by these overpasses. The community is certainly celebrating not having to hear the chimes of the boom gates going down at the moment—or ever again.

At Morphett Road, the new overpass, once fully installed, will be made up of 34 beams, which all up will reach about 380 metres in length. Across Marion Road and Cross Road, the new overpass will comprise 52 beams. The bridge section itself is made up of 13 spans, each around 35 metres long, giving it a length of about 460 metres. The approach ramps, including the whole overpass, reach about 750 metres.

This is an $870 million project jointly funded by the Albanese and Malinauskas Labor governments. This project is supporting more than a thousand jobs throughout construction. As we have said earlier today, it is building on those record amounts we have seen in construction in South Australia.