Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King today announced the federal government would no longer fund 50 infrastructure projects across the country, including five projects in South Australia, following a review of the nation’s infrastructure investment pipeline.

A list of projects the federal government will no longer fund in South Australia following an independent review.

The $250 million Hahndorf Township Improvements and Access Upgrade is the highest value South Australian project to lose funding.

The project, which the federal government was funding 80:20 ($200 million), included upgrades to the Verdun interchange, Mount Barker interchange and Hahndorf’s main street. It was also going to extend the Pioneer Women’s Trail and upgrade a car park in Verdun.

The $202 million Truro Bypass was also an 80:20 project, designed to reroute trucks along the Sturt Highway away from Truro’s main street.

Concept designs for the $202 million Truro Bypass. Image: DIT

The federal government is also cutting $16 million in funding for a $20 million upgrade of Main South Road between Myponga and Cape Jervis. The project was to build new overtaking lanes but work hasn’t started.

A $2 million upgrade of Onkaparinga Valley Road’s intersections with Tiers Road and Nairne Road at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills was also scrapped in the review.

A $20 million roundabout upgrade of the Old Belair Road and James Road intersection is also canned, a decision announced by the state government in June.

The federal infrastructure review determined the five projects “do not demonstrate merit, lack any national strategic rationale and do not meet the Australian Government’s national investment priorities”.

“In many cases these projects are also at high risk of further cost pressures and/or delays,” the review states.

King said the cuts represented projects that were not realistically going to be delivered with the available funding, had made little to no progress over a significant amount of time, or did not align with national priorities.

“(The infrastructure review) painted a sad and frankly sorry picture of the health of our infrastructure investment pipeline,” she said.

“From now on, the Australian government’s investment infrastructure will focus on productivity, sustainability and liveability.”

King said the government had undertaken “considered consultation” with states and territories.

However, state Transport and Infrastructure Minister Tom Koutsantonis, speaking before King’s announcement today, said he had not been told which projects would no longer be funded and that the federal review was “not a cooperative body of work that we’re doing together”.

“If the Commonwealth Government don’t want to partner with us on certain projects, well then those projects, quite frankly, are going back to the planning stage,” told ABC Radio Adelaide.

Koutsantonis also said that the state government would not makeup the shortfall for projects that had been funded 80:20 by the federal government.

“The state cannot afford to be making up the shortfall,” he said.

“We’ve got a national government that has the all the taxation powers. They are the ones that collect all the revenue.

“To put this burden on the people of South Australia would be unfair.”

Koutsantonis is expected to provide further details this afternoon about the state government’s response to the review.

Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie, whose federal electorate of Mayo covers areas where projects lost, criticised the cuts.

“This is an appalling decision that’s shows a complete lack of understanding and respect for my regional community,” she said in a statement.

“The Minister must reconsider these cuts, they are unfair, anti-region and simply dangerous.”

Opposition transport spokesperson Vincent Tarzia also spoke out.

“These projects that have been cut by Labor were all key projects for South Australia’s improved road safety and positive economic output,” he said.

South Australia is not the worst-hit state in the federal review; New South Wales lost funding for 16 projects, Victoria 12 and Queensland nine. Western Australia lost five while Tasmania and the ACT both lost one and the Northern Territory lost none.

A full list of scrapped and continuing projects is available here.

South Australia is also benefiting from an additional $2.7 billion in federal funding for the North-South Corridor, on top of the Commonwealth’s existing $4.9 billion commitment to the project.

The extra money means the $15.4 billion Torrens to Darlington stage of the South Road project is fully funded between the state and federal government.

A list of South Australian infrastructure projects the federal government will continue to fund.

-With AAP