Works underway on vital defence precinct upgrades

Wednesday 12 August 2026

Equally funded by the Australian and South Australian governments, the $100 million project will support future growth of passenger, freight and defence industry traffic. This will ensure the road network continues to operate safely and efficiently.

As part of the AUKUS partnership, the northern Lefevre Peninsula has been selected as the site for Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine construction yard, along with a new skills and training academy campus.

Transport, utility and social infrastructure upgrades are needed to accommodate the expanding workforce and enable successful delivery of the AUKUS program.

The Lefevre Peninsula upgrades include:

• realignment and upgrade of the Victoria Road and Pelican Point Road junction
• upgrades to the Victoria Road and Veitch Road junction
• improved bike access, footpaths and new landscaping adjacent to the upgrades
• new LED road lighting, line marking and drainage.

Early works now underway at the corner of Victoria Road and Pelican Point Road include site establishment, ground levelling and vegetation clearing. Earthworks are also underway in preparation for major construction works.

Coordination between these early works and SA Water’s works in the area is ongoing.

The closed Kardi Yarta Playground will be decommissioned as part of these works, with the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and their Aboriginal Advisory Panel (AAP) ensuring the process of decommissioning is managed with care and respect.

Cultural elements identified by AAP are to be retained and will be carefully removed and stored until AAP and Council determine their future potential use. Remaining materials will be repurposed and recycled where possible.

Work with the Council and the AAP will continue to determine new Aboriginal urban design and cultural opportunities.

Major construction on the Lefevre Peninsula upgrades is expected to commence in early 2027. The project will support the creation of 200 jobs per year for the life of the project.

For more information visit https://dit.sa.gov.au/infrastructure/projects/lefevre-peninsula-upgrades-project.

To accommodate future growth, the 2026-27 State Budget committed $15 million over two years toward an AUKUS planning study and business case to identify the transport infrastructure required to support increased demand. The Australian and South Australian governments have each committed $7.5 million for this work.

The South Australian Government also recently announced a proposal to establish its first dedicated State Development Area (SDA) at Osborne, with the plan currently open for consultation.

The SDA would establish a central point for the coordination, planning and facilitation of economic and infrastructure development within this important industrial precinct.