Time for action to fix Oaklands Crossing after years of delays, broken promises

FOR years there has been serious congestion at the intersection of Diagonal and Morphett Roads in Adelaide’s south-west.

Traffic backs up on these very busy roads, waiting at the level crossing next to Oaklands station.

As well as delay, there are significant safety issues. There were 100 collisions at this site between 2010 and 2015.

Over the years there has been plenty of talk about fixing the Oaklands level crossing — but no action.

The 2016 Federal Election saw a breakthrough on this issue — with a $40 million commitment announced by the Turnbull Government, thanks to the advocacy of the new Liberal MP for Boothby Nicolle Flint.

Getting this project completed will require funding from all levels of government. So far the Turnbull Government’s $40 million is the only contribution on the table.

There is a lot of work ahead to get to the outcome we all want to see — a bridge or tunnel which allows cars to proceed safely and without delay because they no longer need to cross railway tracks.

There needs to be a detailed design prepared — which in turn will allow the South Australian Government to go to the market and obtain a firm costing from a construction company.

It may also be worth examining whether, as part of the overall solution, this could be an opportunity for an integrated rail development, combining the new rail work with new apartments or shops.

To find out whether such an approach would be viable would require testing the market to see if there were private sector interest.

Regardless of the scale of the development — whether it is simply to replace a level crossing or whether it is a broader project — it will also be important to involve local government.

I have sought a meeting with the City of Marion to discuss Marion’s involvement — and willingness to contribute financially.

The Turnbull Government’s funding will require a formal proposal from the South Australian Government, which would be assessed by Infrastructure Australia.

But of course we stand ready to work together in advance of a formal proposal, for example to engage in relation to proposed designs and also on whether there is any private sector appetite for an integrated development.

The Turnbull Government’s commitment to upgrade the Oaklands crossing builds on our $3 billion transport infrastructure investment in South Australia — an investment which is generating over 1300 jobs a year in the construction phase and supporting the use of South Australian manufactured Arrium steel in projects like the Northern Connector.

We have worked constructively with the South Australian Government on these projects, and we look forward to working together on the Oaklands project as well — to arrive at a project design, settle the cost of the project, agree financial contributions from other levels of government and potentially the private sector, and then to get the project underway.

The article originally appeared here: Paul Fletcher: Time for action to fix Oaklands Crossing after years of delays, broken promises