From the Chief Executive

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport (the Department) is proud to have delivered important infrastructure projects, transport improvements and essential services for South Australians in the 2022-2023 financial year.

We marked a number of key achievements in our multi-billion dollar programs of transport and social infrastructure projects, while continuing to support job creation and generate economic and social value for South Australians. The Department also continues to progress the Government’s election commitments.

Significant progress was made towards the delivery of the River Torrens to Darlington Project – the final phase of the North-South Corridor and the most ambitious project ever undertaken in South Australia – by completing a comprehensive project review, engaging with the community, advancing enabling works and commencing procurement for the major works.

The comprehensive review was finalised in December 2022, and resulted in critical changes aimed at delivering the best possible outcome for the local community and all South Australians.

The $15.4 billion project design incorporates new essential broader network upgrades worth $850 million, includes two sets of twin three-lane tunnels, lowered and ground-level motorways, which delivers on three key objectives: improved connectivity, improved safety and safeguarding the fabric of the local community.

The Ovingham Level Crossing Removal Project was completed in early 2023, with the new Torrens Road bridge and upgraded intersection of Churchill Road and Torrens Road open to traffic and the refurbished Ovingham Railway Station reopened to passengers.

The Port Wakefield Overpass and Highway Duplication Project, was also completed. The project replaced the dangerous former intersection of the Port Wakefield, Copper Coast and Augusta highways with a new two-lane overpass; duplicated Port Wakefield Highway through Port Wakefield; realigned the Highway’s junction with Balaklava Road; and delivered improvements to pedestrian access and landscaping throughout the township.

The Joy Baluch AM Bridge in Port Augusta opened in its fully duplicated configuration, with dual lanes on both bridge sections operating in June 2023. In metropolitan Adelaide, the intersections of Cross Road and Fullarton Road and Nottage Terrace and North East Road opened to traffic in their final, upgraded configurations in December 2022 and April 2023, respectively.

Works continued to duplicate Main South Road and Victor Harbor Road on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The duplication of the Augusta Highway between Port Wakefield and Lochiel is also well advanced, with traffic now using newly constructed lanes with the project expected to be completed next year.

The Coopers Stadium upgrade was completed in preparation for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Adelaide, held throughout July and August 2023. The upgrade included the redevelopment of the eastern stand with a 2,200 square metre roof providing improved protection from the elements, along with new light towers, big screens, food and beverage outlets, amenities, and corporate seating.

Construction was also completed on the first stage of Morialta Secondary College, allowing Year 7 students to commence Term 1 of the 2023 school year.

Other important pieces of social infrastructure completed in 2022-2023 included the Lyell McEwin Hospital Emergency Department upgrade, Mount Barker Hospital Emergency Department Upgrade, Yatala Labour Prison Expansion and Adelaide Women’s Prison upgrade.

The site for the new, state of the art Adelaide Aquatic Centre was confirmed and design work commenced, releasing new concept designs which include a range of amenities not currently available to users of the existing facility.

We progressed the South Australian Government’s commitment to return train and tram services to public hands. This led to an agreement being signed between the South Australian Government and train operator Keolis Downer Adelaide and tram operator Torrens Connect, which will see operational functions returned by January 2025 and July 2025 respectively, ensuring a safe and efficient transition.

The past financial year saw the introduction of free public transport for eligible Seniors Card holders on the Adelaide Metro transport system all day every day from July 2022, and the delivery of five reconfigured rail carriages to allow more space for bicycles on the Belair line.

The next generation of smart validators have now been rolled out on all trams and O-Bahn buses. These validators can read metroCARDs, credit/debit cards and digital QR tickets.

It was a busy year for Service SA staff, who worked tirelessly to support South Australians affected by the Optus and other data breaches by replacing their licences. In total, over 125,000 licence replacements were facilitated online and in Customer Service Centres as a result of these data breaches.

Service SA opening hours were also expanded in May 2023, to include 9am to 5pm Saturdays in the busy metropolitan centres of Marion, Seaford Meadows, Prospect and Modbury and Elizabeth. More than 25,000 transactions were completed in the first three months of opening on Saturdays.

The outer areas vehicle registration concession was reintroduced in July 2022, for residents of Kangaroo Island, Coober Pedy, Roxby Downs and all other parts of South Australia that are not within a municipality, a district council area, or Iron Knob.

The conditional registration scheme was expanded to include classic and historic vehicles manufactured prior to 1997.

Both of these measures – which came into effect on 1 July 2022 – resulted in an increase to the number of vehicles eligible for cheaper car registration in South Australia.

The inaugural South Australian Car Club Program was also launched. The Car Club provides support to local car and motorcycle clubs across South Australia.

South Australia’s Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025 (the Action Plan) was released in February 2023. The Action Plan is informed by consultation and feedback received during the development of South Australia’s Road Safety Strategy to 2031, and implements State actions under the National Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025.

A number of taxi industry reforms were also advanced, which included reintroducing managed taxi ranks and introducing more inspectors to monitor and enforce the Passenger Transport Act 1994; strengthening compliance activity for taxis and rideshare operators; and providing a rebate on Compulsory Third Party insurance premiums for eligible taxi owners.

The Department worked with the Attorney-General’s Department and South Australian Police to create a new offence in the Road Traffic Act 1961, prohibiting the driver of an ultra-high powered vehicle from disabling automated intervention systems.

We became an official signatory to the Equal Opportunity Commission’s “We’re Equal” campaign with implementation activities being planned internally and across Service SA centres and the Adelaide Railway Station.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to make special mention of our road maintenance and marine services staff, as well as everyone else in the Department, other agencies, local communities and local councils, who worked around the clock to respond to the River Murray flood event in late 2022 and early 2023.

The once-in-a-generation flood event caused significant disruptions to local Riverland communities, cutting off access to large sections of 12 major State Government managed roads (and many more local government roads) and the majority of our River Murray ferry crossings.

It was heartening to see the determination and collaborative spirit our staff showed as they worked tirelessly to quickly and safely restore access and connectivity to affected local communities.

I’d like to thank all of the Department’s staff and our partners for another year of hard work to make all these and other achievements possible. We are committed to supporting a growing economy and a thriving community by designing, delivering and maintaining the State infrastructure used to deliver essential services to the community, and developing transport networks and the service delivery that supports them.

Jon Whelan

Chief Executive

Department for Infrastructure and Transport