A $45 million project to upgrade the access road to South Australia’s towns tourist destinations in Adelaide Hills is moving closer to construction.
Consultation on the concept design for upgrading the Mount Barker Interchange on the South Eastern Freeway will be kicking off shortly, with the project aiming to improve connectivity between the freeway, Mount Barker and other Adelaide Hills towns.
South Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Corey Wingard said the project was part of the state government’s commitment to delivering the infrastructure improvements needed to support the area’s urban and tourism growth.
“Each day around 36,700 vehicles use the interchange at the freeway, with traffic only expected to increase as new development continues across the Mount Barker area,” Minister Wingard said.
“The upgrade of the Mount Barker Interchange will reduce congestion and improve connectivity between the freeway and Mount Barker and other Adelaide Hills towns for the thousands of motorists who travel to and from the city every day.”
The upgrade is part of the $250 million Hahndorf Township Improvements and Access Upgrade project, funded by the Federal and South Australian governments on an 80:20 basis.
Investigations and assessment of the options for the broader Hahndorf Township Improvements and Access Upgrade Project are still continuing and further consultation will be carried out.
The upgrade to the Mount Barker interchange is vital to support whichever option is selected. There is no private land impacted by the Mount Barker Interchange upgrade.
The current design for the Mount Barker Interchange upgrade is based on building a new three-lane bridge over the South Eastern Freeway for northbound traffic with a dedicated right turn lane for access to the freeway via the eastbound on-ramp.
The design also envisions an upgrade and conversion of the existing bridge to accommodate three lanes of southbound traffic with a dedicated right turn lane for access to the freeway and installing a new shared use path onto the existing bridge.
To provide feedback on the Mount Barker interchange upgrade concept design, please visit www.dit.sa.gov.au/hahndorf
Related stories:
- Access roads to SA’s Mount Barker set for major upgrades
- Works begin on SA’s $260m Augusta Highway duplication project
- SA’s Stuart Highway partially re-opens following heavy rainfall