Road upgrades begin under $850m Torrens to Darlington package of works

Works are now underway on the first intersection and road upgrade at Selgar Avenue, delivered under the $850 million package of broader network and amenity upgrades along the final 10.5-kilometre section of South Road in South Australia. 

The Selgar Avenue Link Project will ultimately connect residents and motorists from Salgar Avenue to the Tonsley precinct. Scope of works to build the new road include: 

• Site mobilisation works involving the installation of temporary fencing for a secure site, establishing site amenities, locating services and installation of traffic controls 
• Site preparation that includes removal of vegetation, existing drainage and surface treatments along the alignment of the new link road 
• Earthworks to build the new link road, installation of drainage, roadside kerbing and road base preparation 
• Service utilities including installation of telecommunication and water main, road lighting and footpaths 
• Asphalting and line marking the new link road 
• Site demobilisation and reinstatement of the area impacted by the works 

Local civil engineering company Bardavcol will be undertaking the works, which are expected to be completed by December of this year. 

The Selgar Avenue Link, once completed, will enable vehicles to make a right turn onto South Road from Selgar Avenue via MAB Circuit and Tonsley Boulevard. The new road link will also provide motorists with another entry point to Tonsley from South Road on top of the existing Tonsley Boulevard intersection. 

“The extension of Selgar Avenue into the heart of the Tonsley precinct will provide an extra entry point into an area that is today expanding rapidly with commercial and residential development, and which will only become busier in the years ahead. 

“The building of this two-way link road will allow those motorists currently unable to turn right from Selgar Avenue onto South Road for a southbound journey to join South Road at the traffic-light intersection with Tonsley Boulevard – thus addressing a legitimate complaint of businesses operating in the Selgar Avenue-Drury Terrace area of Clovelly Park. 

“I’m very pleased that Bardavcol, a very accomplished local civil construction firm, won the tender for the Selgar Avenue initiative and that South Australians will be carrying out the work on the ground,” Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Tom Koutsantonis said. 

Selgar Avenue Link map (source: T2D - Torrens to Darlington)

The overall $850 million package of works is being delivered as part of the River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project. These works are vital in enabling proper functioning of the motorway and wider Adelaide road network during and after the construction of the T2D Project. This significant investment is anticipated to support up to 300 jobs annually. 

The River Torrens to Darlington Project will deliver the final 10.5-kilometre section of the North-South Corridor. Built with a combination of tunnels, lowered and surface-level motorway, as well as overpasses and underpasses at key intersections, T2D will provide a 78-kilometre non-stop, traffic light free motorway between Gawler and Old Noarlunga. 

“The T2D Project is expected to support, on average, about 5500 jobs a year during construction. 

“And the State Government is determined that at least 90 per cent of the project labour will be provided by South Australian workers, with a focus on providing key roles for Aboriginal workers, apprentices, trainees and jobseekers who are long-term unemployed,” Minister Koutsantonis said. 

Source: Government of South Australia – News; T2D – Torrens to Darlington (1, 2, 3, 4); Roads & Infrastructure Australia