The total number of properties impacted by the construction of the North-South Corridor has increased to 524 – up from the 412 properties slated to be razed under the former Marshall Government’s plan.

Of the 125 additional properties to be acquired, 66 are residential homes, 54 are commercial or industrial premises and five are listed as “other” properties.

They are located in the suburbs of Clovelly Park, Edwardstown, Glandore, Kurralta Park and Ashford.

Infrastructure Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the government had contacted impacted property owners over the past week and would ensure people could stay in their homes where possible.

He said the government would also discuss partial acquisitions with 16 land owners, while five landowners were uncontactable.

“There’s no easy way to do this,” he said.

“But, we’ve come up with some very, very good principles and some good learnings from what the previous government did.”

Premier Peter Malinauskas said the government understood that families would be forced to make a “sacrifice”, but the acquisitions were necessary.

“We want to make sure that we repay that sacrifice by working with them collaboratively with far more empathy in our approach with how we go about property acquisitions.

“But, notwithstanding that, I’m also conscious of the fact that sometimes no pain, no gain.”

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Tom Koutsantonis and Premier Peter Malinauskas reveal South Rd upgrade details. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

Thirteen properties slated to be razed under the former Marshall Government’s design will no longer need to be acquired.

The cost of the project has increased from $9.9 billion under the Marshall Government to $15.4 billion. The government claims the actual cost of the Marshall Government’s design would have also been upwards of $15 billion.

[solstice_jwplayer mediaid=”kOnSnEY7″ caption=”South Road project animation. Supplied State Government” /]

The government wants the federal government to contribute half of the cost, with the state’s contribution to be around $700 million each year on average over the next decade.

Malinauskas said the state government had been in “active discussions” with the Commonwealth for “some time”.

However, he stopped short of saying the federal government had formally committed to providing the funding.

“This has been project that at a Commonwealth level has enjoyed bipartisan support,” he said.

“The engagement we’ve had with the Commonwealth over the course of the last eight months has been very positive indeed.

“We look forward to working with them closely in the lead up to next year’s federal budget.”

Render: SA Government

Render: SA Government

Construction will begin in 2025, with the government expecting the project will be complete by 2031.

The new motorway will feature two tunnels and new pedestrian and cycling paths.

The southern portal of the southern tunnels will be shifted about 300-metres north to ensure vehicles have more time to safely change lanes.

Other changes include an additional exit ramp at James Congdon Drive and Deacon Avenue for vehicles travelling north and an extra entry ramp at James Congdon Drive for vehicles entering the motorway heading south.

The elevated roadway at Anzac Highway, which featured in the original plans, has been scrapped. The government will instead build three ground-level right-turn lanes onto Anzac Highway heading towards the city, with an additional exit ramp from the River Torrens to Darlington motorway for northbound traffic, north of the Anzac Highway intersection.

The government claims the new design will reduce congestion on parallel routes such as Goodwood Road and Marion Road and improve access to east-west connector routes.

Once complete, the government anticipates the 10.5-kilometre motorway would save commuters between 30 to 40 minutes travelling from West Hindmarsh to Darlington.

It said it would take motorists nine minutes to drive from the River Torrens to Darlington.

According to the government, the project will create 5500 new jobs and inject at least $4.8 billion into the state’s economy.

It has promised 90 per cent of labour hours would be undertaken by South Australian workers, with apprentices, trainees, Aboriginal workers and the long-term unemployed to deliver 20 per cent of all labour hours.

The tree canopy along the River Torrens to Darlington corridor would also increase by 20 per cent.

An Infrastructure Australia analysis of the previous government’s business case published in February found that the upgrade proposal had a benefit-cost ratio of 0.7. Any number below one means that the costs outweigh the benefits.

A separate “gate 2″ assessment by Infrastructure South Australia, delivered in October 2021, gave the project an amber rating, meaning there were “major issues and/or risks identified with appropriate mitigation measures provided”.

Malinauskas said the government had contracted independent consulting firm PwC to verify the costings for the updated plans.

He said the analysis was done “to the highest level P90 costing testing arrangement” and the government was satisfied with the result.

“I have and the cabinet has absolute faith within the senior government officials that have led this exercise,” he said.

“But, I’m sure they understand that the cabinet wouldn’t be doing our job properly if we didn’t have that independently verified by an outside source as well.

“You’ve got to make sure in government that you just don’t have government officials marking their own homework.”

Malinausaks said the previous design would not have delivered long-term benefits to the state.

“We could not allow a circumstance to unfold where compromises were made at the expense of a project that will quite literally inform transport in this state, up to 2100,” he said.

“That is what we are talking about – a project that will endure for the remainder of the entirety of this century.”

The Opposition’s infrastructure spokesperson Vincent Tarzia said it had been a difficult week for families and local businesses along the North-South Corridor who had found out they no longer have a home or a place to earn a living.

“More South Australians are now losing their homes and businesses thanks to Labor – and to add insult to injury there’s also shocking $5.5 billion cost blowout in a massive kick in the guts for taxpayers,” he said.

“When we left government, the project cost $9.9 billion and minimised property acquisition. Now Labor has delivered a $5.5 billion cost blowout to bulldoze 125 extra properties.”