More works to go underway on $77m Adelaide River Floodplain Upgrade NT

More works are set to get underway to upgrade the Adelaide River floodplains on the Arnhem Highway in the Northern Territory following a funding boost to cover early ground improvement works for the Beatrice Hill Section upgrade. 

“The Adelaide River Floodplain Upgrade is another critical part of improving our roads and is currently supporting 179 jobs, which is vital during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We are continuing to get shovels in the ground on projects like this across Australia under our $110 billion infrastructure investment pipeline, which is laying the foundations for economic recovery from COVID-19 while ensuring we have the transport infrastructure needed to get people home sooner and safer – no matter where they live,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said. 

This $77.88 million project will help improve flood immunity as well as road safety and productivity for several industries that rely on road transportation through Arnhem Highway. 

“The Arnhem Highway is a major transport link connecting Darwin and Kakadu National Park – a major tourist attraction to the Northern Territory and the service centre of Jabiru. 

“It also connects local primary producers and industry to Darwin, facilitating the export of key resources and produce to Darwin and beyond – these links have proven to be crucial throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” NT Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics Eva Lawler said. 

The Adelaide River Floodplain Upgrade will include about 6.6 kilometres of new road alignment and 13 bridges along the length of the floodplain. 

These upgrades will greatly improve the reliability of the Arnhem Highway, which was often closed due to flooding of the Adelaide River. 

“This can cause extensive delays of up to 10 days at a time, effecting the economic viability of tourism and other key industries in the area and of much inconvenience for residents and travellers. 

“These vital upgrades will improve flood mitigation at the Adelaide River floodplain and increase route reliability and accessibility, while reducing the frequency of road closures throughout the wet season,” Senator for the Northern Territory Dr Sam McMahon said. 

Early works on the second stage of the Beatrice Hill section commenced last month – ahead of the 2020 wet season. The works involve ground improvement for the new alignment, such as clearing, construction of a rock drainage layer/working platform as well as specialist installation of vertical wick drains through underlying soft soils. 

Works on the Beatrice Hill section will continue into 2021 with the construction of approximately 2.8 kilometres of new road alignment and a multi-span bridge. 

Weather permitting, the Adelaide River Floodplain Upgrade is due for completion in late 2021. 

This project is jointly funded by the Australian and Northern Territory Governments, each contributing $62.3 million and $15.58 million respectively. 

Source: Northern Territory Government Newsroom; NT Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics; Katherine Times; Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications