Additional funding to get more works underway on South Eastern Freeway

Both the Australian and South Australian Governments are injecting additional funding to ensure the delivery of the South Eastern Freeway Upgrade. 

Through the 2024-25 Budget, the Albanese Government is committing an additional $100 million towards the project and the State Government is matching this significant investment. 

This brings the total funding from the Australian Government to $220 million and $130 million for the South Australian Government. 

“The Freeway is a key corridor for cars and trucks between Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills. 

“The $100 million commitment from the Federal Government towards safety improvements, matched with State funds, will help manage incidents on the Freeway and maintain traffic flow when accidents do occur,” SA Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Tom Koutsantonis said. 

“Many of my constituents have raised with me concerns around safety along the South Eastern Freeway, whether they live close by or use it regularly. This is a welcome announcement for Boothby,” Member for Boothby Louise Miller-Frost said. 

The South Eastern Freeway Upgrade involves works on the Heysen Tunnels, which is already underway, and the extension of the Managed Motorway System that will help improve travel time reliability and incident response. 

The works also include the installation of an Intelligent Transport System for lane-use management, variable speed limit signs, and median barrier gates that will enable traffic contra-flow in case of an incident. 

The overall Heysen Tunnels Refit and Safety Upgrade involves: 

• Upgrading the tunnel lighting system to a new LED configuration 
• Installing a new automated fire suppression system 
• Upgrading the tunnel ventilation system 
• Repairing the tunnel lining and installing monitoring equipment 
• Upgrading the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) equipment including thermal incident detection systems, new and replacement CCTV, electronic variable speed and messaging signage and over heigh vehicle detection 
• Upgrading the traffic management system to restrict access to the tunnels in the event of an emergency incident 
• Upgrading the emergency communication systems, including public address, radio rebroadcast, in-tunnel signage and help phones to improve safety and network reliability 

“More than 50,000 motorists travel this section of the freeway each day, and that number is only set to grow with Adelaide Hills seeing the largest population growth in the Greater Adelaide region over the past decade. 

“The Albanese Government is delivering the infrastructure our community needs, investing in projects like this one which will cater for the long-term needs of our nation. 

“I thank the South Australian Government for working closely with us to ensure the delivery of this vital project,” Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King said. 

Proposed Mount Barker interchange upgrade (source: SA Department for Infrastructure and Transport)

The additional funding will also get the gear going on upgrades to the Mount Barker and Verdun interchanges, which will improve access to the South Eastern Freeway and reduce traffic through Hahndorf. 

Over the past 10 years, the Adelaide Hills has seen the third largest population growth in the Greater Adelaide region, particularly around Mount Barker, and upgrading the two interchanges will help cater for this growth. 

The Mount Barker interchange upgrade will increase the number of lanes to three on both north and southbound while the Verdun interchange will be upgraded into a full interchange. These works will enable access to and from the South Eastern Freeway in all directions. 

“The Malinauskas Government welcomes this significant funding commitment from the Albanese Government towards improving safety, access and connectivity in the Adelaide Hills and on the South Eastern Freeway. 

“We’ve remained committed to delivering the upgrades to the interchanges at Verdun and Mount Barker to improve connectivity to the Freeway. The $120 million investment on those projects from the Albanese Government will enable us to get on with doing just that,” Acting South Australian Premier Susan Close said. 

Proposed Verdun interchange upgrade (source: SA Department for Infrastructure and Transport)

Key features of the proposed Mount Barker interchange upgrade include: 

• A new three lane bridge over the South Eastern Freeway for northbound traffic with a dedicated right turn lane for access to the freeway (towards Murray Bridge) 
• Conversion of the existing bridge to accommodate three lanes of southbound traffic with a dedicated right turn lane for access to the freeway (towards Adelaide) 
• A new Shared User Path incorporated onto the existing bridge and approaches, improving connectivity and safety for cyclists and pedestrians 
• Upgrades to the existing ramps to and from Adelaide to improve safety and capacity 

Key features of the proposed Verdun interchange upgrade, on the other hand, include: 

• Upgrading the existing half interchange at Verdun to a full interchange, with the addition of an eastbound entry ramp and westbound exit ramp 
• The new proposed eastbound entry ramp (towards Mount Barker) is closely located to the South Eastern Freeway 
• The new westbound exit ramp remains at grade with the existing South Eastern Freeway and will cross under the existing Verdun westbound entry ramp and connect with the proposed new roundabout located at Mount Barker Road 
• The new roundabout at Mount Barker Road will be a single lane roundabout and suited to the expected traffic volumes and usage habits of Mount Barker residents. A roundabout in this location was selected as it provides the safest junction treatment for this area 

The Australian Government’s investment for the South Eastern Freeway is part of a more than $290 million commitment towards transport infrastructure in South Australia in the current Budget, bringing the total investment in state roads and rail projects over the next 10 years to $9.7 billion. 

Source: Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government; Government of South Australia – Media Releases; Government of South Australia – Department for Infrastructure and Transport (1, 2, 3); Glam Adelaide