The Marshall Liberal Government has revealed major concrete works have been completed on South Australia's first ever major concrete public road as part of the Northern Connector Project.
Utilising 100 per cent of materials sourced from South Australia, 150,000 cubic metres of concrete pavement have now been poured for approximately 13-kilometres of the Northern Connector.
Asphalt has been used for the remainder of the Northern Connector around the interchanges.
The $885 million Northern Connector Project has created over 600 jobs and will deliver a six lane 15.5-kilometre motorway, which is scheduled to be open to traffic between late February and early March next year.
A Community Day will be held in February ahead of the road opening to traffic, to give the community the opportunity to see the new motorway up close and thank them for their patience while this important project has been constructed.
The project has had a very strong focus on creating local jobs, including;
- At least 90 per cent of all on-site labour hours undertaken by South Australians;
- At least 50 per cent of all jobs filled by northern suburbs residents;
- At least 20 per cent of all on-site labour hours undertaken by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, apprentices, trainees and cadets, displaced automatic workers, people facing barriers to employment and training and upskilling the workforce.
"The Marshall Government has built a massive $11.9 billion pipeline of infrastructure works over the next four years that will create jobs and help grow South Australia's economy," said Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government Stephan Knoll.
"We have built a pipeline of productive road infrastructure projects that will improve economic productivity, build a better freight network and underpin thousands of jobs.
"This Northern Connector will deliver a vital freight and commuter between the Northern Expressway, South Road Superway and Port River Expressway.
"Importantly for motorists, this non-stop 110km/h motorway will reduce travel times and improve road safety.
"Once the Northern Connector opens to traffic, long gone will be the days of motorists being stuck in traffic on Port Wakefield Road between the South Road Superway and the Northern Expressway.
"It will help unlock access to South Australia's northern regions, from Gawler and the Barossa and beyond."
Minor works to be completed include the completion of the low noise diamond grooving of the concrete road, asphalting, ITS cable installation and commissioning and line marking.
