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Capacity improvements for Adelaide’s Inner Ring and Outer Ring routes

Overview

Infrastructure Australia has identified the improvement of Adelaide’s Inner Ring and Outer Ring routes as a high priority and has included it on their Infrastructure Priority List.

Most traffic movements in Adelaide’s inner city use parts of the Inner Ring or the Outer Ring routes, and the annual urban speed in the region has deteriorated by 1.1% per year for the last 10 years.

Traffic congestion is a problem for commuters, public transport, cyclists, pedestrians, businesses, and freight traffic throughout the day.

About the routes

Map of Adelaide metro area with Inner and Outer ring routes highlighted

The Inner Ring Route is a collection of main roads surrounding Adelaide CBD, running along the perimeter of the Parklands to allow traffic to bypass, and move in and out of, the city.

The Outer Ring Route incorporates segments of several main roads to provide key connections to Greater Adelaide suburbs.

Addressing traffic congestion and removing conflict locations along these routes will result in efficient and more productive freight transport, improved performance of the public transport system, less travel time delays for commuters, and enhanced safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

Next steps

A Planning Study is being considered to identify:

  • how people live, work and travel along the ring routes
  • current challenges with how the ring routes function
  • potential opportunities to improve the ring routes for all users
  • how the ring routes support liveable communities, public transport, and active travel within inner and central Adelaide

Consideration will be given to the current and future needs of the ring routes based on anticipated changes to population and activity in and around the route. A range of indicators will be examined including road safety, travel times, public transport, walking and cycling, land use, heritage, environment, and place experience.

Community Engagement

Engagement with key stakeholders is critical to the success of this study, and we are committed to listening to, and partnering with, stakeholders to understand local transport issues.

If you have any questions about the program, please email dit.communityrelations@sa.gov.au.