| Southern Expressway | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Maintained by Department of Transport, Energy & Infrastructure | |
| Length: | 21 km (13 mi) |
| History: | Opened 1997 Completed 2001 |
| Major junctions | |
| North end: | Main South Road, Darlington, Adelaide |
| Marion Road for full list see exits and intersections. |
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| South end: | Main South Road, Old Noarlunga, Adelaide |
| Location | |
| Primary destinations: |
Bedford Park, Darlington, O'Halloran Hill, Trott Park, Reynella, Morphett Vale, Noarlunga Downs, Seaford |
| Highway system | |
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Highways in Australia |
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The Southern Expressway is the world's longest reversible one way freeway. Originally proposed as 'Noarlunga Freeway', it was built as a corridor to relieve heavy traffic from the major arterial, Main South Road, in Adelaide's south. The expressway was built in two stages — the first completed in late 1997, the second in 2001. The total cost of the arterial was A$76.5m, and it is 21 km in total length. There is a provision for the duplication of the expressway when the time arises.[1] Main South Road provides both the start and finish. There are exits at Marion Road, Panalatinga Road, Sherriffs Road and Beach Road. The Southern Expressway is signed as M2.
Construction of the expressway also included the Adelaide Southern Veloway for cyclists, which runs alongside it for 7 km, from Marion/Main South Road to the Panalatinga Tunnel. South of the Panalatinga Tunnel, the bikeway becomes a shared track for the remaining 12 km of the expressway. The expressway crosses over the Coast to Vines rail trail at both Panalatinga Road and at the expressway's Southern end.
On 17 February 2010 Premier Mike Rann announced that the expressway would be duplicated in a A$445m project, including a new A$75m interchange at Darlington (which was later scrapped[2] ). This was driven by the planning of a major transport hub at Darlington, during which the government discovered that it faced having to build a $50 million section of road that would have to be destroyed when the expressway was eventually duplicated.[3]
The expressway is open approximately 22.5 hours per day, one way for over 11 hours in each direction. The northbound (city-bound) direction occurs on weekday mornings (2:00am – 12:30pm) and weekend evenings (2:00pm – 12:30am), the southbound direction on weekday evenings (2:00pm – 12:30am) and weekend mornings (2:00am – 12:30pm).[4] It is closed 12:30am – 2:00am and 12:30pm – 2:00pm, except for Saturday and Monday mornings when the direction remains unchanged. During each closure all road signs, lights and boom gates change over, and the road is inspected by a tow truck contractor for debris and car breakdowns.
The expressway is the southern part of a north-south freeway originally conceptualised under the Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study (MATS), completed in 1965, as a freeway bypassing the city from Dry Creek to Old Noarlunga.[5] The MATS plan proved unpopular, and in 1971 all further highway construction in Adelaide was postponed for a period of ten years. In 1983 plans for the freeway north of Darlington were abandoned, and the land that had been set aside was progressively sold off.
In 1984 the state government announced plans to develop a "third arterial road" for the south. In 1987 the project was split into two phases, the first the upgrading of Main South Road and Marion Road in the Darlington area, and the second a new road from Darlington to Reynella. Phase one was completed in 1994 with the widening of Main South Road to eight lanes between Ayliffes Road and Seacombe Road, and the widening of Marion Road to six lanes between Main South Road and Sturt Road.
Phase 2 became the expressway, which was to be constructed in two stages: from Darlington to Reynella, and from Reynella to Old Noarlunga. It was developed as a one-way reversible road with future duplication provided for in the roadworks base, to be constructed when the need arose. It used the remaining "Noarlunga Freeway" reservation, except for the northernmost kilometre where a new route through O'Halloran Hill was chosen to provide high-quality links with Marion and Main South Roads without interfering with existing infrastructure at Sturt.
Construction of the expressway commenced in July 1995 and the first stage was opened to traffic on 17 December 1997. Construction commenced on the second stage in February 1999 and was opened to traffic on 9 September 2001.
Although a boon to residents living a substantial distance south of the CBD, the expressway does not commence until some 15 km south of the CBD. This fact, combined with its one-way operation, design compromises, and the fact that it bypasses large sections of existing freeway-class road, have led many to question its benefit.
In 2007 the Howard Government pledged $100m towards widening the expressway in its unsuccessful re-election bid.[6]
| Southern Expressway | |||
| Southbound exits | Distance from Bedford Park (km) |
Northbound exits | |
| Start Southern Expressway continues from Main South Road |
0 km | End Southern Expressway Merges with Main South Road to & City |
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| no exit | City via Main South Rd South Road |
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| no exit | 0.5 km | City via Marion Rd Marion Road |
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| Reynella, Woodcroft Panalatinga Road South Road |
5.6 km | no exit | |
| Lonsdale Sherrifs Road |
9.9 km | Lonsdale Sherrifs Road |
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| Noarlunga Centre, Christie Downs Beach Road |
14.3 km | Noarlunga Centre, Christie Downs Beach Road |
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| Old Noarlunga, Victor Harbor Main South Road |
21.0 km | no exit | |
| End Southern Expressway Merges with Main South Road to & |
Start Southern Expressway continues from Main South Road |
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Legend
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The 15 bridges over the expressway from north to south are:
| No. | Name | Suburb | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seacombe Road | Darlington | Vehicle |
| 2 | Majors Road | O'Halloran Hill | Vehicle |
| 3 | Glenthorne Path | O'Halloran Hill | Foot |
| 4 | Young Street | Reynella | Vehicle |
| 5 | Moore Road | Reynella | Vehicle |
| 6 | Sugarbush Path | Reynella | Foot |
| 7 | O'Sullivan Beach Road | Morphett Vale | Vehicle |
| 8 | Glenhelen Path | Morphett Vale | Foot |
| 9 | Flaxmill Road | Morphett Vale | Vehicle |
| 10 | Elizabeth Road | Morphett Vale | Vehicle |
| 11 | Beach Road | Morphett Vale | Vehicle |
| 12 | Poznan Path | Hackham | Foot |
| 13 | Honeypot Road | Hackham | Vehicle |
| 14 | Peppermint Path | Hackham | Foot |
| 15 | Perry Path | Hackham | Foot |
The expressway has five underpasses:
| No. | Location | Suburb | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marion Road | Sturt | Vehicle |
| 2 | O'Halloran Hill Recreation Park | O'Halloran Hill | Foot |
| 3 | Lander Road | Trott Park | Vehicle |
| 4 | Sherriffs Road | Reynella | Vehicle |
| 5 | Southern Expressway Southern terminus | Huntfield Heights | Bicycle |
During its construction and for some time after its opening, the expressway was promoted via a dedicated FM radio station established by the Department of Transport broadcasting via a low-power FM transmitter in the immediate vicinity of the road.[7] The radio station broadcasted a recorded message on continuous loop featuring promotional and community information messages relating to the expressway, including a jingle that Transport Minister Diana Laidlaw declared made the expressway the only road in the world to have its own jingle.
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