More than $44 million worth of upgrades to the Outer Harbour and Granger rail lines in Adelaide have been completed, including the installation of a 720 tonne bridge to take the rail line over South Road in Croydon.
More than 110 people worked on the new steel bridge spanning South Road as part of the $896 million Torrens Road to River Torrens Project which will deliver a 4km non-stop section of South Road once completed.
Data from the Traffic Management Centre shows drivers travelling south between Hawker Street and Port Road are already saving up to three minutes in travel time.
South Australian MInister for Transport and Infrastructure, Stephen Mullighan, said, “More than 150 Grange and Outer Harbor train services pass through the level crossing at South Road every weekday, causing substantial disruptions to the flow of traffic on this major arterial road and freight route.
“Separating this rail line from vehicle traffic has already helped to improve travel times for commuters, freight and transport vehicles and all road users who navigate this part of Adelaide’s western suburbs every day.
“Some of the greatest dangers around rail lines include queuing across level crossings, inattention and impatience. This project removes those dangers significantly improving safety.”
The bridge was fabricated by local company Samaras Group and features approximately 270 tonnes of Arrium steel for pile reinforcement, rail tracks and concrete deck reinforcement.
More than 260 people were employed on a number of projects as part of a blitz of works on the Outer Harbor and Grange lines to maximise the closure.
Those projects include:
- An estimated $1.5 million of preliminary works on the $258 million Torrens Rail Junction, including survey and service depthing along the rail corridor and relocation of the boom gates on Park Terrace
- A $4 million upgrade to the 105m Port River rail bridge, extending its life by approximately 75 years
- $150,000 on upgrades to the Grange, Taperoo, Peterhead, Ethelton, Cheltenham, Croydon and West Croydon stations, which will include repainting, installation of new bins and replacing damaged signs
- A $1.8 million replacement of the train tracks between Woodville Station and Port Road, with the City of Charles Sturt spending $550,000 on drainage works beneath the railway lines at Port Road
- $500,000 of Outer Harbor line level crossing upgrades at Harris Street, Hargrave Street and Gedville Road
- $1.1 million to replace signalling cables along sections of the rail corridor
