Marking the start of major works on the River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project, construction has commenced to create a non-stop South Road in South Australia (SA), saving travel time and providing job opportunities.
Funded by the Australian government, the $15.4 billion project aims to save drivers up to 40 minutes of travel time during peak hour. The new road will allow motorists to bypass 21 sets of traffic lights between River Torrens and Darlington, significantly reducing congestion.
“This is a project that’s been long talked about – everyone knows how important it is. Now we’re getting on with delivering it,” said premier of SA Peter Malinauskas.
“Residents in the Tonsley and Clovelly Park areas will be seeing works underway at the Southern Precinct between Tonsley Boulevard and Norrie Avenue.”
Scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026, two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be launched from the Southern Precinct to construct the Southern Tunnels. A third TBM will be used for the Northern Tunnels.
A bentonite plant and water treatment facility has also been constructed to produce bentonite slurry – a wet clay used for ground stability – and to reuse water during the tunnelling process.
“The purpose-built site is where the Tunnel Boring Machines will launch to construct the 4.5km Southern Tunnels, which will run from Clovelly Park to just south of the Glenelg Tramline in Glandore,” Malinauskas added.
The project will support 5,500 jobs per year, with close to 550 workers employed at the Southern Precinct. The T2D Alliance is committing to more than 600 jobs for apprentices and trainees, and more than 220 job opportunities for unemployed people.
“We have full confidence this State-shaping project will be open to traffic as promised by 2031, if not even earlier, providing South Australians with a range of transport, safety, economic and social benefits,” said minister for Infrastructure and Transport Tom Koutsantonis.
The T2D Alliance team plans to regularly update the local community through information sessions held along the alignment.
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