North–South Corridor, Adelaide

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

North–South Corridor

NSC Area Map.png
The North-South Corridor, with the Sturt Highway extension also shown
General information
Type Freeway
Length78 km (48 mi)
Route number(s) AUS Alphanumeric Route M2.svg M2
Major junctions
South endAUS Alphanumeric Route A13.svg Main South Road
Old Noarlunga, Adelaide
North endAustralian national highway A20.svg Gawler Bypass Road
Gawler, South Australia
Location(s)
Major suburbs / towns Bedford Park, Black Forest, Glandore, Angle Park, Globe Derby Park, Bolivar, Waterloo Corner, Virginia, Penfield, Andrews Farm, Angle Vale, Gawler
Highway system

The North–South Corridor is a series of component motorways travelling through Adelaide, South Australia that will eventually form a continuous link from Old Noarlunga in the outer southern metropolitan Adelaide suburbs through to Gawler in northern metropolitan Adelaide, comprising a distance of 78km. [1] Under South Australia's road route system, the corridor is signed as route M2.

Contents

Comprising the Northern Expressway, the North–South Motorway and the Southern Expressway, parts of the corridor are still under construction or planning, with the project aiming for completion by 2031. [2]

Component motorways

By 2031, all of these major road links are proposed to have been completed, thus making a major route through the Adelaide metropolitan area a much more efficient way to travel. Its expected to take only one hour to travel from Noarlunga in the South to Gawler in the North. When announced, the incumbent government had a strategy to deliver the complete project in ten years from May 2015. [3]

The components identified by the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, from north to south, are: [4]

SectionStatusOpened
Northern Expressway
Northern ExpresswayComplete13 September 2010
North–South Motorway
Northern ConnectorComplete7 March 2020
South Road SuperwayComplete13 March 2014
Regency Road to Pym StreetComplete30 March 2021
Torrens Road to River TorrensComplete29 September 2018
River Torrens to DarlingtonUnder investigationTBA
Southern Expressway
Darlington UpgradeComplete1 August 2020
DuplicationComplete3 August 2014

Northern Expressway

The Northern Expressway, heading north-east towards Gawler in April 2012 NSCNorthernEx1.jpg
The Northern Expressway, heading north-east towards Gawler in April 2012

The Northern Expressway opened in September 2010 and was named the Max Fatchen Expressway, as the longest new road project in South Australia for a number of decades. Max Fatchen was a popular author and journalist who had grown up and lived most of his life in the area traversed by the expressway. The 4 lane highway extends from Port Wakefield Road, northwest through 5 interchanges in Penfield (2 interchanges), Andrews Farm, Angle Vale and Gawler River to where it joins the Sturt Highway just outside Gawler.

Cycling is prohibited on the expressway. The Stuart O'Grady Bikeway was constructed in conjunction with the expressway and follows the southeastern side of it.

North–South Motorway

The North–South Motorway is an incomplete planned motorway traversing the inner western suburbs of Adelaide from Waterloo Corner and Virginia in the north to Bedford Park in the south. As a free-flowing north-south route it will be the primary route through Adelaide, bypassing the traffic light intersections along Port Wakefield Road and South Road, and will connect the Northern Expressway and Southern Expressway.

For the purposes of construction planning, the motorway was divided into sections which have been progressively constructed since 2010. As of March 2021, approximately 24.1 kilometres (15.0 mi) of the motorway has been completed with the remaining 10.5 kilometres (6.5 mi) currently under investigation.

Southern Expressway

The Southern Expressway, heading north, before going under the Young Street Bridge in April 2012 NSCSouthernEx1.jpg
The Southern Expressway, heading north, before going under the Young Street Bridge in April 2012

The Southern Expressway opened in two stages in 1997 and 2001 respectively, as a one way freeway which was closed for an hour twice a day, and reversed direction to match peak traffic flow. It was open northwards, towards the city, on weekday mornings and weekend afternoons. It was open southwards, away from the city, on weekday afternoons and weekend mornings. Duplication of the expressway began in 2011, with the construction of a second carriageway allowing the expressway to operate in both directions at all hours. The duplication opened in August 2014. [5]

The northern terminus of the expressway is at South Road in St Marys, where it runs through Bedford Park in an open cutting adjacent to Main South Road on the surface. This section began construction in 2016 and opened in 2020, replacing the original northern terminus, a signalised intersection further south, and bypassing five sets of traffic lights on Main South Road.

The southern terminus of the expressway is at Main South Road, Old Noarlunga. Northbound traffic has free-flowing entry onto the roadway. Southbound travellers have a set of traffic lights to exit the expressway. Heading south after the expressway, Victor Harbor can be accessed with one additional set of traffic lights. Traffic to Cape Jervis encounters three more sets of lights.

Sturt Highway extension

The Gawler Bypass extends the continuous motorway at the northern end of the Corridor to the Sturt Highway at Hewett. Beyond Hewett, the Sturt Highway has been built to dual carriageway standards until Nuriootpa. The second carriageway was added between 2007 and 2009, providing a total of two lanes in each direction. The Sturt Highway continues beyond Nuriootpa as just one lane each way. The next major bottleneck is the town of Truro, which has the highway as its main street. A bypass is proposed in 5 to 15 years from the 2015 integrated plan. [6]

See also

Australia road sign W5-29.svg   Australian Roadsportal

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hume Highway</span> Major national highway in Australia

Hume Highway, inclusive of the sections now known as Hume Freeway and Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for 840 kilometres (520 mi) between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of the route from Sydney's outskirts to Melbourne's outskirts to dual carriageway was completed on 7 August 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gawler, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Gawler is the oldest country town on the Australian mainland in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about 40–44 km (25–27 mi) north of the state capital, Adelaide, and is close to the major wine producing district of the Barossa Valley. Topographically, Gawler lies at the confluence of two tributaries of the Gawler River, the North and South Para rivers, where they emerge from a range of low hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sturt Highway</span> Australian national highway

Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions along the route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princes Motorway</span> Motorway in New South Wales, Australia

Princes Motorway is a 62-kilometre (39 mi) predominantly dual carriage untolled motorway that links Sydney to Wollongong and further south through the Illawarra region to Oak Flats. Part of the Australian Highway 1 network, the motorway is designated route M1.

Southern Expressway is an 18.5 km (11.5 mi) freeway through the southern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. It is the southern part of the North–South Corridor which extends the full length of Adelaide and is being built to urban freeway standard. It is designated part of route M2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light Regional Council</span> Local government area in South Australia

Light Regional Council is a local government area north of Adelaide in South Australia. It is based in the town of Kapunda, and includes the towns of Freeling, Greenock, Hansborough, Hewett, Roseworthy and Wasleys.

Port Wakefield Highway is an important South Australian highway, connecting Adelaide to the Yorke Peninsula, Port Augusta, northern and western South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is designated National Highway A1 and a part of the National Highway. It is named after Port Wakefield, the first government town north of Adelaide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main North Road</span> Road in South Australia

Main North Road is the major north–south arterial route through the suburbs north of the Adelaide City Centre in the city of Adelaide, South Australia, and linking to Gawler on Adelaide's outer north-eastern fringes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Controlled-access highway</span> Highway designed for high-speed, regulated traffic flow

A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms include throughway and parkway. Some of these may be limited-access highways, although this term can also refer to a class of highways with somewhat less isolation from other traffic.

South Road and its southern section as Main South Road outside of Adelaide is a major north–south conduit connecting Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula, in South Australia. It is one of Adelaide's most important arterial and bypass roads. As South Road, it is designated part of route A2 within suburban Adelaide. As Main South Road, it is designated part of routes A13 and B23.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Highway 1 (New Zealand)</span> Road in New Zealand

State Highway 1 is the longest and most significant road in the New Zealand road network, running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island, SH 1S in the South Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study</span> Abandoned transport scheme for the city of Adelaide

The Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study, or "MATS Plan" as it became known, was a comprehensive transport plan released in 1968 proposing a number of road and rail transport projects for the metropolitan area of Adelaide, South Australia.

Port River Expressway is a 5.7-kilometre (3.5 mi) freeway-grade road. The expressway links Port Adelaide and the LeFevre Peninsula across the north-western suburbs of Adelaide to major interstate routes via North-South Motorway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Expressway</span> Freeway in Adelaide, South Australia

Northern Expressway, also known as the Fatchen Northern Expressway, is a 21 kilometre long controlled-access highway in Adelaide, South Australia. Since March 2020, the North–South Motorway continues west of Port Wakefield Highway and intersects the Port River Expressway to reach the harbour at Port Adelaide. These are the northernmost two parts of the North–South Corridor.

Gawler Bypass is a major north–south route in the outer northern suburbs of the city of Adelaide, South Australia, connecting Main North Road to the Sturt Highway, bypassing Gawler. The route was built in 1963 in an attempt to redirect traffic on the national highway out of Gawler town centre. It has been upgraded and realigned several times since then.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North–South Motorway</span> Motorway in Adelaide, South Australia

The North–South Motorway is a partially complete motorway traversing the inner western suburbs of Adelaide, from Waterloo Corner in the north to Bedford Park in the south. Progressively constructed in stages since 2010, once complete it will replace the adjacent South Road as Adelaide's main north–south roadway. It will form the central section of the North–South Corridor, being flanked north and south by the Northern Expressway and Southern Expressway, respectively. It is designated part of route M2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highways in Albania</span> Transport network in Albania

The Highways in Albania are the central state and main transport network in Albania. The motorways and expressways are both part of the national road network. The motorways are primary roads with a speed limit of 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph). They have white on green road signs such as in Italy and other countries nearby. The expressways are the secondary roads, also dual carriageways, but without an emergency lane. They have a speed limit of 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph). They have white on blue road signs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart O'Grady Bikeway</span>

References

  1. "Adelaide's North-South Corridor". Government of South Australia. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  2. "Project: North South Corridor". Infrastructure Partnerships Australia. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  3. "North–South Corridor The 10 year Strategy" (PDF). Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. May 2015. K-Net #9526649, V1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  4. "Adelaide's North-South Corridor". Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure South Australia. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  5. "Southern Expressway Duplication". Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure . Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  6. "The Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan" (PDF). Government of South Australia. July 2015. p. 149. Retrieved 30 April 2018.