COM: Northern Expressway | 22km

[Cruise]

You should have put this in in the south road section lol

[rogue]

Latest newsletter available here: http://www.dtei.sa.gov.au/__data/assets ... er2007.pdf

[rogue]

FYI. Sent email to DTEI about Pt Wakefield Rd / Northern Expressway intersection.

It went a little something like this.....

Thank you for your enquiry regarding the Northern Expressway.

An intersection has been proposed for the Northern Expressway/Port Wakefield Road Junction. However the proposed signalised intersection is not seen as the long term solution. Planning work is to commence shortly to identify the most appropriate treatment for Port Wakefield Road . Until that work is further progressed, we won't know the optimal solution for the Northern Expressway/Port Wakefield Road Junction.

Regards


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From:
Sent: Thursday, 4 October 2007 3:51 PM
To: DTEI:Northern Expressway
Subject: Port Wakefield Road Access


Hi,

With the construction of the new Northern Expressway nearing, has a grade seperated interchange been suggested for the Port Wakefield Road / Northern Expressway intersection? Why is it not included in the overall design?

Thanks

[drsmith]

FYI. Sent email to DTEI about Pt Wakefield Rd / Northern Expressway intersection.

It went a little something like this.....

For the Port Wakefield Road section of the New Northern Gateway, long term planning is shifting away from upgrading the Port Wakefield Road to freeway status and towards constructing a new road to ultimately link the Sturt Highway Extension with the Port River Expresway. This new road is being referred to as the New Port Wakefield Road.

The following quote is from Hansard dated 26/9/2007, pp 18 and 19.

59 MR PENGILLY: How far have the design and concept plans on the New Port Wakefield Road been developed, and why was that not considered as part of the original Northern Expressway project?

MR HOOK: New Port Wakefield Road has come out of, I guess, the analysis we did when we looked at the existing Port Wakefield Road. We came to a conclusion that it is not the right solution to continue to upgrade the existing Port Wakefield Road. We came to the conclusion that we could have a reasonable mid-term solution through upgrading of intersections. That would work through to mid next decade. We decided that we would be better to start talking to our federal counterparts about a complete new alignment. We did not then proceed to put that on the schedule for AusLink 2 funding. We started the process of talking with the commonwealth government. It is early days. We have raised it in discussions with Cheetham Salt, which owns a lot of the land we would be interested in. Cheetham Salt is aware that is on the agenda, as is the RAA and SARTA. It is not necessary for us to put it into AusLink 2. We think it fits in a 2015, 2016, 2017 time frame.

60 MR PENGILLY: Will construction of the road begin earlier than 2016 given that there will be considerable bottlenecks at the end of the Port River Expressway?

MR HOOK: Are you talking about construction of the New Port Wakefield Road?

61 MR PENGILLY: Yes.

MR HOOK: This would be monitored over time. Taking into consideration the growth of population (which goes back to an earlier question), if we had agreement with the Australian government for a funding package that kicked in at 2014, 2015 and 2016 that is when we would schedule the road. However, it would be dependent on a funding package. Also, it would be relevant to note that with respect to a road of this scale (as is the north-south corridor) under the current arrangements with the Australian government we would be required to investigate again private funding models.

62 MR PENGILLY: What are the impediments to signing off with the Australian federal government on this project? You say that you have had discussions. Are there any impediments to it? Is the state not coming up with the money, or is the federal government saying that it will not come up with the money? What is slowing it down?

MR HOOK: Again, this is for the New Port Wakefield Road?

63 MR PENGILLY: Yes.

MR HOOK: We would need to work through the whole process of a planning study. As I said, we would also have to investigate different funding options. All that would have to be properly documented and presented to the Australian government under whichever party we are dealing with after the election. We will need to work through all the processes to see whether it is agreed with our departmental colleagues, whether they will be presenting it to the government of the day and whether it is agreed. We have had our funding bids in for some time for AusLink 2, which would deliver what we believe we can achieve during that time frame. This is putting our hands up for something that would be a priority, we believe, for AusLink 3.

MR ROSSI: We have put on the table the work that needs to be done in terms of undertaking the planning study. That has been discussed and will continue to be discussed with the federal department.

64 MR PENGILLY: Who is undertaking the planning study for the New Port Wakefield Road? Is it your department, the federal department, a private consultant or a combination of all? Who is doing it?

MR HOOK: First, the agreement with the Australian government is that it would allow us to use its funds as well as our funds to finance it. We would engage consultants. We would be required to manage it, and the outcome of that would be presented to both governments.

65 MR PENGILLY: When will the New Port Wakefield Road be put out to tender?

MR HOOK: The New Port Wakefield Road?

66 MR PENGILLY: Yes.

MR HOOK: We are talking mid next decade. We are talking 2015-16 for construction.

http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/San/pub ... essway.htm

[Cruise]

When did the concept of New Port Wakefield road come from?

Would is not be an extremely expensive project? Given that it is going to be built on what is currently salt pans?

Also, with funding announced in Auslink 2 would that mean we could see this sooner?

[crawf]

Interesting, could be a good idea. Merging the Northern Expressway and Port Wakefield Road could become a nightmare

[rhino]

I think that by 2015 this will be a very good idea, although it is probably not required at this stage. Hopefully they will get the ball rolling, though (buying necessary land etc) so that by 2015 the cost would not have made the project impossible. Looking at a decent topographic map, it's not too hard to envision where this route might be.

[Shuz]

The new route would have to have an overpass over the existing Port Wakefield road, and a new flyover T-section at the Salisbury Hwy/PRexy junction. Why is it called New Port Wakefield Road? Seriously names dont need be so long! Its pratically an extension of the Northern Expressway, much like the Southern Expressway done in two stages.

[drsmith]

If Port Wakefield road itself was to be upgraded to freeway status a bridge would still be required at the northern end to ensure free flowing northbound traffic to the Sturt Highway extension. For free flowing traffic from Port Wakefield Road to the Port River Expressway (southbound), additional bridge construction can only be avoided is if there is sufficient room on the Salisbury Highway overpass for merging traffic from the required loop ramp on the southeast corner of the intersection. Given the sharp angle of the loop an overhead ramp would be more practical but would also be expensive.

My guess is that with the above section of Port Wakefield Road there is too much interaction with the local road network for upgrading to a freeway to be practical. A new road further west has the advantage of much less local road network hence less interchanges.

[rhino]

My guess is that with the above section of Port Wakefield Road there is too much interaction with the local road network for upgrading to a freeway to be practical. A new road further west has the advantage of much less local road network hence less interchanges.

Exactly.

[drsmith]

A transcript of an interview on ABC radio with David Fawcett (Member for Wakefield) contains the following commet from David Fawcett regarding the alternative "New Port Wakefield Road" route.

Weir:
…you’ve indicated that the extension of these roads will lower transport costs, how will it do that?

Fawcett:
Purely in fuel … one of the disappointments we have about this project is the original scope was actually looking at additional lanes of Port Wakefield Road going down to the Port Expressway and because of the cost blow out that came from the first estimate, were given by the South Australian Government to now, that’s been de-scoped, just giving some additional capacity at traffic lights … one of the future plans … is actually looking at taking the expressway across Port Wakefield Road and then going down past the saltpans down to the Port Expressway in a different route, so you would get that clear run all the way through...

The full transcript of the interview can be viewed from the following link.

http://www.davidfawcett.net/news/articl ... 81&pf=true

In the interview there is also a brief discussion on the Port Wakefield bypass.

[Mants]

heard this mentioned on the radio this morning, but i didnt catch what they had to say about it.
did anyone else hear the report? i think it was on mix

[Howie]

Might have been this :

Harness racing club in limbo over Northern Expressway

Gawler Harness Racing Club says the planned Northern Expressway is causing it problems.

Gawler Harness Racing Club says its future is in limbo over the acquisition of its property to make way for the Northern Expressway in northern Adelaide.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008 ... 134726.htm

The club has been trying to secure replacement land adjacent to its current site under a $3.8 million deal with the Transport Department and the Light Regional Council.

Club president Barry Ewen says up to 20 trainers have built houses around the club so they can walk their horses to the track.

"Between the two of them they offered us land approximately three kilometres down the road but it would mean that all the trainers that have built houses in the area would either have to float their horses down there or take the chances of driving down the Two Wells Road and that becomes a safety hazard," he said.

Construction contract

The first construction contract for the $560 million Northern Expressway project has been awarded to a South Australian company.

The $30 million contract to upgrade a stretch of Port Wakefield road will be carried out by a consortium made up of construction firms BMD Group and EStar3.

Pre-contract work to prepare the roads has begun today.

State Transport Minister Patrick Conlon says other local firms will also be involved in construction of the expressway.

"When we go to the really big part of this job, the 23 kilometres of new road, we have three short-listed tenderers, everyone of them involves a local firm," he said.

"So it's an open tendering process, it's a testament to the quality of the people we have here."

[Norman]

I think the title of this thread should be "#U/C Northern Expressway (NEXY)"

Anyway, work is well underway on Port Wakefield Road as I was going past on the bus. Resurfacing and reconstructing the median strip are currently underway, with improvements to intersections paramount.

[AtD]

Where abouts on Port Wakefield Road is this work taking place?