The Mike Turtur Bikeway Overpass Project, first announced under the Weatherill Government in May 2016 at a cost of $10m, will see a shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians built along the tram overpass which runs above Goodwood Railway Station.

The upgrade will allow cyclists travelling along the Mike Turtur Bikeway in Forestville and Goodwood to ride over the train line instead of taking a detour under the railway station. It will also see elevators constructed between the overpass and the station.

Concept designs of the bikeway upgrade released by the PTP Alliance in December.

Early works on the upgrade are due to begin in March after the deadline for public feedback closed on Tuesday. Construction is expected to be completed by mid-2023, according to the project’s lead contractor PTP Alliance.

But protest signs have popped up within the construction-affected Forestville Reserve urging residents to voice their opposition to a potential loss of tree canopy and car park space near the Unley Swimming Centre.

Protests from local residents about potential tree loss within the Forestville Reserve. Photo: Thomas Kelsall/InDaily

Badcoe MP Jayne Stinson said local residents have raised “a number of serious concerns” to her about the project.

“Local concerns include the sheer scope and size of the project, the loss of tall gum trees where koalas live, concerns for the safety of wheelchair users and children in prams due to fast-moving bikes also using the same spaces, a lift exiting into the pathway of bikes and concerns for people exiting the lift in wheelchairs,” she said.

“Many residents have also raised with me that this project is taking too long, plans have changed several times in recent years and that the consultation process has been lacking.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure and Transport said “at this stage” fewer than 50 trees are being removed although the final total “will be assessed as part of the final, detailed design”.

The latest concept designs do not include landscaping details, but the PTP Alliance says more than 50 trees and approximately 2500 shrubs, grasses and ground covers are being planted as part of the project.

Concept design view from the eastern side of the overpass upgrade.

Goodwood Ward councillor Emma Wright has also expressed her opposition to the project in its current form and labelled the lastest designs an “oversized concrete eyesore”.

“I feel what has been proposed is half baked, a stage one, not a complete solution,” she said.

“Neighbours of the site have expressed concerns regarding overlooking into their properties, light spill from the overpass and ramp lighting all night [and] the space underneath not having a purpose.

“I am concerned about safety. A cyclist travelling quickly down the spiral ramp will pose a threat to the safety of anyone attempting to travel the other way (up).”

A department spokesperson said the curved ramp concept was incorporated as part of the initial designs in 2017 and will have less of a footprint on vehicle access.

“The ramp means that users don’t need to double-back to switch to the other side of the tram line via the underpass,” the spokesperson said.

“The curved ramp also avoids impacts to vehicle access at Railway North Terrace and Devon Street North.”

The controversial curved ramp design for the eastern exit of the overpass.

Two parcels of land from one subdivided property were acquired in 2017/18 for the project, according to the spokesperson, while the basketball court and netball ring adjacent to the overpass will have to be relocated nearby during construction.

A construction site compound will be located on the southern side of the overpass along Lyons Parade, near a local car park, although the PTP Alliance said this is in order to minimise impact on the Forestville Reserve.

Green space from the Forestville reserve surrounds the existing tram overpass. Photo: Thomas Kelsall/InDaily

The project has attracted the support of Unley Mayor Michael Hewitson.

“It’s an excellent design as far as it goes. It is a much-needed piece of cycling infrastructure across the state,” he said.

“The preliminary drawings, however, could do with some attention to look at the surrounding landscaping which has not been released at this stage.

“Unley Council are fully in support of the project itself but we are seeking the plans to look at some additional work around the site.

“We do not want the project stopped … we don’t want it to be a Gawler railway line.”

Hewitson said Unley Council is aware that “we will be losing some big trees” for the project but emphasised there is “plenty of scope to plant future significant trees which I believe needs to go with this project”.

“I am delighted with the passion of our local community and angst over the loss of trees, and if we’re going to lose them, let’s make sure we at least get a couple back,” he said.

The PTP Alliance says tree removals are expected to commence in April.

A PTP Alliance map of vegetation removal areas for the project.

Unley Bike Users Group chair David Elliott also said he is broadly supportive of the project.

“That railway station has been a major barrier to people using the Mike Turtur Bikeway for quite a long time – nearly 30 years since the bikeway begun,” Elliott said.

“So we’re quite pleased to see that the priority has been making the overpass an overpass, but it’s also quite nice to see there’s other community features that are being incorporated into it to allow access to the railway station.”

Elliott, who attended two consultation sessions with the PTP Alliance late last year, said the main concerns raised by residents were loss of vegetation and people exiting and entering the overpass elevators potentially coming into conflict with cyclists travelling at high speed.

“The nature of infrastructure projects tends to mean that some vegetation does get in the way, and being in the middle of a park in a city with not that much open space – people are justifiably protective of their trees,” he said.

Regarding the potential for conflict at the elevator, Elliott said: “There’s a lot of features in this [project] which do go a long way to reduce that.”

“They’ve opened up the wells and you can see into the elevator entryways, so you have a good amount of warning if someone’s there,” he said.

“The path is quite wide, it’s four metres wide so it’s wider than a standard shared use path, which allows people to move off to the side.

“When you consider that people will have to put a lot of effort to get up that incline, you’ll lose a lot of that speed anyway.”

The Department of Infrastructure and Transport is also facing calls to upgrade the existing underpass under Goodwood Railway Station.

Stinson said local commuters complain of “the steepness of the decline, flooding, urination and graffiti … and personal safety issues” within the underpass, “yet this space is not included in this Overpass project”.

The entry to the Goodwood railway station underpass. Photo: Thomas Kelsall/InDaily

Unley Councillors unanimously voted at their last council meeting on January 31 to ask the department to expand the scope of the overpass project to include an underpass upgrade.

A spokesperson for the department said “improvements will also be made to the existing underpass at the Goodwood Station” and the new overpass elevators would be “compliant with [the] Disability Discrimination Act 1992”.