Emerson Crossing
Emerson Crossing, the 'South Road Overpass' or simply 'the Overpass' are the informal names given to the intersection of South Road, Cross Road and the Seaford railway line in Adelaide, South Australia. South Road crosses north-south over both Cross Road and the diagonal railway via a large bridge built in the early 1980s. This was done in an attempt to cater for the ever increasing amount of traffic which went through the intersection and was constantly congested during peak hour times. Emerson Railway Station is located in the north eastern corner of the crossing. The train station and crossing are both named after Emerson Street, a small dead end road just north of the intersection along South Road, in the suburb of Black Forest.[1]
The grade separation at Emerson Crossing was achieved by a 3 span bridge. The centre span is 40 metres, with a 31.2 metre span each end. The abutments and embankments were constructed using the reinforced earth system and completed in 1983 according to project information sheet No. 4 August 1985 issued by the Reinforced Earth Company Australia.
The main bridge work was awarded to A.W. Baulderstone Pty Ltd. It was commenced in January 1984 and was completed in 13 months.
The overpass incorporates U-turn facilities known as 'Texas Turns".
It was officially opened jointly by John Bannon (the Premier of South Australia) and Peter Morris (the Federal Minister of Transport) on 14 March 1985. This was reported by the journal Highway Engineering in Australia February- March 1985.
The overpass was designed by the Highways Department of South Australia.