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The Port of Adelaide/Gillman corridor is an important strategic route for South Australia. The corridor links directly with:
Stage 1 - the 5.5 kilometre expressway between Francis Street, Port Adelaide and South Road, Wingfield
Stage 1 of the Port River Expressway was opened to traffic on 19 July 2005. The $91.5 million four-lane expressway extends from South Road in the east to Eastern Parade/Francis Street in the west and is parallel to Grand Junction Road.
More than 18,000 vehicles are using the expressway each day, saving up to fifteen minutes in travel time between Port Wakefield Road and Port Adelaide.
Stage 1 was largely obscured behind landfills and recycling depots during construction and has proven to be unlike any other construction project due to the complexity of the structures and environmental elements such as buried waste, low lying natural ground and high water tables.
Stage 1 of the Port River Expressway project included the construction of an overpass at each of the junctions of South Road, Hanson Road and Eastern Parade. The South Road overpass has been named the 'Craig Gilbert Bridge', in memory of the late Mr Craig Gilbert. In January 2002 Mr Gilbert became only the third Managing Director in the then 47-year history of Tonkin Consulting. He was closely involved in winning Stage 1 of the Port River Expressway project for his company and in developing the innovative design solution for the overpass at the Port River Expressway and South Road junction. He passed away in 2003, aged 38.
The design of the South Road overpass is unique, consisting of a large roadway loop extending several hundred metres into the Barker Inlet Wetlands, crossing water basins. Bardavcol Pty Ltd had to undertake major work to preserve the wetlands' overall function during and following construction activities.
The Eastern Parade overpass has urban design features such as bright blue beams and reinforced earth walls with a rock face appearance to create an industrial theme, characteristic of Port Adelaide.
In terms of traffic volumes, the 5.5 kilometre expressway is expected to carry approximately 40 000 vehicles daily in 2011, which will alleviate the current congestion problems on South Road, Cormack Road and Grand Junction Road.
Works commenced on Stage 1 in December 2002, with South Australian company Bardavcol Pty Ltd. delivering the four-lane expressway project through a Design-Construct-Maintain (DCM) contract.
Stages 2 and 3 - the road and rail bridges across the Port River
Abigroup Contractors Pty Ltd was awarded the contract to design, construct and maintain the road and rail bridges across the Port River. Funding of $178 million for Stages 2 and 3 of the project involves a joint contribution between the state and Australian governments under the AusLink Investment Program and it is expected that Stages 2 and 3 will be completed in early to mid 2008.
The scope of work for Stage 2 includes building an opening road bridge across the Port River and connections to Francis Street and Victoria Road and Semaphore Road, providing direct access to the LeFevre Peninsula and Outer Harbor.
Stage 3, the opening rail bridge and associated rail network improvements, will connect the existing rail line on the eastern side of the Port River with the freight line on the LeFevre Peninsula reducing the rail distance between Wingfield and LeFevre Peninsula by up to four kilometres.
For further information, please view the Expressway to the Future presentation which provides an overview of the project and its link to other government initiatives at Outer Harbor.
The Port River Expressway will contribute to South Australia's economic development by providing new road, rail and bridge connections across the Port River, linking South Australia's export enterprises and industrial areas with key transport routes and facilities. The Port River Expressway project is one of the key elements in the Strategic Infrastructure Plan for South Australia, which sets out more than $1 billion in projects to improve South Australia's port and industry-related infrastructure to support the future growth in exports.
Community benefits
To read more about the Port River Expressway project, please visit our publications page or contact us.
About the project