Push for motorists to fund $5.5 billion in road upgrades with toll roads
TOLL roads are needed in South Australia to help pay for transport projects vital to economic growth, the peak freight transport advisory group warns.
The South Australian Freight Council will today release a report identifying four transport infrastructure projects - with a combined cost of about $5.5 billion - it believes are critical to the state's future economic viability.
Its calls for toll roads to help fund the projects have been backed by business and transport authorities, including Business SA and the RAA.
Council chief executive Neil Murphy said the State Government must follow the lead of NSW, Victoria and Queensland and pursue private-sector investment to accelerate projects such as a free-flowing North-South corridor through Adelaide.
"The governments have no money, hence they have got to look at alternative funding," Mr Murphy sai.d
"The time has come for both the state and commonwealth governments, and where appropriate the private sector, to increase their investment in this state's freight and logistics infrastructure - creating jobs during the construction phase and longer-term wealth creation and sustainability.
"Toll roads are one option to quicken the pace of infrastructure delivery and should be investigated as a priority, not ruled out before meaningful debate has been had."
The key projects the report identifies are:
A FREE-FLOWING north-south corridor based around a comprehensive upgrade of South Rd, including a proposed tunnel under Port and Grange roads.
AN accelerated road maintenance program to alleviate a maintenance deficit that has increased to more than $250 million.
TRANSPORT infrastructure to support the expanding mining industry, including the development of key deep- water ports and road and rail links to service the mining sector.
ADDRESSING "last mile" road access issues through upgrades and access improvements, and creating more rest facilities on high productivity vehicle routes for heavy vehicles across the state. The council estimates the required upgrades to the north-south corridor would cost more than $4 billion.
The corridor is defined by the State Government as the 78km stretch of road running between Gawler and Old Noarlunga.
It incorporates the Northern Expressway, proposed Northern Connector, South Rd and Southern Expressway.
The South Rd element of the project, particularly the section between the Gallipoli Underpass and Regency Rd, is viewed by industry as the priority element for completion.
Mr Murphy said South Australia was falling behind the rest of the country because it had failed to adequately fix a bottleneck in the middle part of the corridor, which could be fixed by a toll road.
Business SA president and Flinders Ports chief executive Vincent Tremaine said fixing the corridor would be a huge boost for the state's economy.
"Governments don't have a lot of money, certainly our State Government doesn't, so the best way to deal with that is to get a contribution from the private sector," he said.
The RAA said it supported the concept of toll roads as long as there were alternative free routes people could use. Senior manager road safety Charles Mountain said the RAA intended to lobby strongly for funds for an upgraded north-south corridor during the federal election campaign.
"If there is a situation where such a (toll) road will provide considerable improvement in terms of reduction in travel times and crashes and create a greater level of safety, then we would support it, subject to there being a viable free route nearby," he said.
Mr Murphy said Marion and Goodwood roads could provide free options for those not wanting to pay a toll.
A survey of the Sydney toll road system by accounting firm Ernst and Young found it delivered a $22.7 billion economic benefit to NSW and broader Australia. The roads increased NSW's gross state product by $1.9 billion in 2008, rising to an estimated $3.4 billion by 2020.
Transport department chief Rod Hook revealed in June the Federal Government had warned SA that it would not pay for future roads unless the state also had private-sector funding through toll roads.
However, Transport Minister Patrick Conlon said the Government would maintain its no-toll-roads stance "so it will be a decision for future governments".
South Australian Road Transport Association executive director Steve Shearer, who convenes the council's infrastructure committee, said toll roads were a necessity to help ease congestion.
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