Frequently Asked Questions

The Heysen Tunnels, located on the South Eastern Freeway between Glen Osmond and Crafers, were first opened to road users in March 2000 and provide a high-speed dual carriageway between Adelaide, the south-east of South Australia and the eastern states of Australia.

Although the Heysen Tunnels were constructed to the highest standard at the time, Australian and international standards relating to road tunnel safety have developed significantly in the past 20 years, so we have brought this important infrastructure up to current standards. The project also addressed Heysen Tunnel elements that were at the end of their service life.

The project included:

• upgrading the tunnel lighting system to a new LED configuration;
• installing a new automated fire suppression system;
• upgrading the tunnel ventilation system;
• repairing the tunnel lining and installing monitoring equipment;
• upgrading the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) equipment, including thermal incident detection systems, new and replacement Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), Lane Use Management Sign (LUMS), Variable Message Signage (VMS) and over height vehicle detection;
• upgrading the traffic management system to restrict access to the tunnels in the event of an emergency incident; and
• upgrading the emergency communication systems, including public address, radio rebroadcast, in-tunnel signage and help phones to improve safety and network reliability.

No. Speed cameras were not included in the tunnel upgrade works.

This project included a major refit and upgrade of the Heysen Tunnels to ensure the infrastructure was upgraded in line with the current standards to improve road safety, efficiency, and network reliability for all users.