Construction work under way on the T2D project. Photo: www.T2D.sa.gov.au
Main construction work has begun on South Australia’s largest project, the $15.4 billion River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) South Road.
The SA government says heavy machinery is on site, and construction work has ramped up, at the project’s Southern Precinct at Clovelly Park.
The non-stop South Road project is expected to allow drivers to bypass 21 sets of traffic lights, saving them up to 40 minutes in peak-hour traffic.
Government says up to 550 workers will be employed at the precinct with the entire T2D Project to create 5500 jobs at its peak – 90 per cent of that to go to South Australians.
The $15.4 billion project is funded equally by the federal and state governments.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas says the time for talk about a much-discussed project is over.
“Residents in the Tonsley and Clovelly Park areas will be seeing works under way at the Southern Precinct between Tonsley Boulevard and Norrie Avenue,” he says.
“The purpose-built site is where the tunnel boring machines will launch to construct the 4.5km Southern Tunnels, which will run from Clovelly Park to just south of the Glenelg Tramline in Glandore.”
Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King says “South Australia’s biggest ever road project is a significant milestone”.
“This is the last leg of a long journey to create the North-South Corridor – 78km of non-stop, traffic light-free motorway. Once complete, it will change the state for the better.”
Her SA counterpart, Tom Koutsantonis, says they have “full confidence” the project will be open to traffic by 2031.
Federal MP for Adelaide Steve Georganas says the project will create 4km of twin three-lane tunnels to the south and 2.2 kilometres to the north, connected by an open motorway.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The Southern Precinct is located between Tonsley Boulevard and Norrie Avenue on the western side of South Road.
It will house three large rigs and cranes to build retaining walls, a 500-tonne gantry crane, multiple storage sheds (such as a large spoil handling facility) and a large, enclosed conveyor system.
The precinct is where two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) will launch to dig out the twin 4.5km-long southern tunnels. The twin 2.2km northern tunnels will use a third TBM.
The southern tunnels boring is due to start in the second half of 2026.
A nearly 100m-long bentonite plant has been built on-site as has a water treatment plant. The precinct already houses (2023) a substation to power the TBMs then the Southern Tunnels once completed.
Three TBMs were bought in September 2024 from a company in Schwanau, Germany.
They will be made in Germany and China, assembled and tested in China and delivered to Adelaide starting later this year.
Two more, smaller TBMs will excavate cross passages between the main tunnels.
A T2D team is expected to regularly meet with the community to share updates and answer any questions.
