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O-Bahn progress for SA

Adelaide’s O-Bahn City Access Project clears potential project impact report hurdle

The O-Bahn City Access Project has passed an important test – with a project impact report showing significant benefits will be achieved for bus passengers and all Adelaide road users.

South Australian transport and infrastructure minister Stephen Mullighan says the project impact report signalled an important step towards the next stage of the project.

“The report shows that our primary objectives – to significantly improve travel times for more than 31,000 O-Bahn bus passengers and more than 70,000 vehicles which travel this part of the city ring route – will be achieved through this project,” he says.

This next stage of the O-Bahn project, which involves major earthworks to create a tunnel near Grenfell Street, will eventually help reduce congestion in Adelaide.

“The report states that in the evening peak it can take more than 20 minutes to travel the 1.45 kilometres between Hackney Road and Grenfell Street, which not only hampers the O-Bahn’s reliability but also delays all traffic including O-Bahn buses,” Mullighan says.

The project impact report addresses issues raised by the community including the impact on the parklands and a need for more parking.

“It is important to note that there will still be opportunities for the community to provide further feedback on the O-Bahn City Access Project throughout this process,” Mullighan says.

Civil Contractors Federation chief Phil Sutherland says the project comes at a time when private investment in infrastructure was at a historic low.

“The State Government is to be commended for filling the gap with publicly funded projects which generate much-needed work for civil contractors, create hundreds of jobs and stimulate the economy more widely,” he says.

Cement, Concrete and Aggregates Australia spokesperson Todd Hacking says the original O-Bahn project had transformed public transport in Adelaide.

“The 650-metre concrete tunnel that will make this project a reality is a much-needed infrastructure project that will support the industry at a time when private infrastructure and residential construction is soft,” he says.

The project impact report outlines a series of conditions that must be met, including further public consultation.

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