$1bn more needed for road plan

An artist's impression of the proposed Darlington Project, looking south along South Road to the Sturt Road underpass, Flinders University and Flinders Medical Centre. Source: The Advertiser

It says governments must urgently commit funds to planned major upgrades along the South Rd corridor to deliver the free-flowing artery.

In its latest submission to the State Government, the RAA backs a complex plan to address Adelaide's worst traffic bottleneck at Darlington, but says the plan - including a Sturt Rd underpass and extension of the railway to Flinders Medical Centre - must be implemented in full.

The cost of the State Government's wish list for the Darlington project would exceed $1 billion.

More than $2.5 billion worth of transport infrastructure projects will reach major milestones in 2011.

These include major works on the $812 million northern-suburbs Superway, completion of the Noarlunga railway line upgrade at $300 million and the start of the $400 million railway network electrification and the $445 million duplication of the Southern Expressway.

RAA senior manager of mobility and safety Wendy Bevan said it had been the association's "number one priority for many years" to have a non-stop, north-south corridor for metropolitan Adelaide.

"Major projects such as the Gallipoli Underpass and the Northern Expressway are now complete and are providing travel time and road safety benefits for private and commercial transport," she said.

"The RAA supports the proposed Darlington project, including the plans to extend rail to both Flinders University and Flinders Hospital, and welcomes the re-announcement of the planning for the critical section of South Road between Grand Junction Rd and Gallipoli Underpass.

"What is most critical... is that these projects are not only planned, but funded and delivered.

"The RAA urges both federal and state governments to commit to funding as a matter of priority."

Tenders for the $6 million Federal Government-funded Darlington Transport Study will be called for early next year. Funding also has been allocated to plan solutions for South Rd from Torrens Rd to the Gallipoli Underpass.

Transport Minister Patrick Conlon said yesterday the currently unfunded Darlington Transport Study was "a massive set of projects".

"There's no doubt that the total of it would be a hugely beneficial set of infrastructure projects," Mr Conlon said.

"But every element has a lot of value in its own right.

"We would be looking to the Commonwealth for a major part of the funding for the projects.

"The numbers are very good and fit entirely with what the Commonwealth wants to do."

Mr Conlon said that next year the SA public would begin to realise how big and beneficial transport infrastructure building was.

"We've gone from having a Transport Department that would get itself in a fair amount of strife on projects to one that is delivering projects looked upon by the Commonwealth as a model for how to do it right," he said.