Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

After nine years of local campaigning, the residents of Boothby will finally see real action and real improvements to address traffic congestion on South Road. In the 2014 federal budget, an extra $441 million in funding was allocated to South Australia for upgrades to South Road, taking the total federal contribution to almost $1 billion and allowing the Darlington and 'Torrens to Torrens' upgrades to be constructed simultaneously. These upgrades at Darlington are what I have been fighting for on behalf of our local community. They were first promised by state Labor in 2006. They were promised by federal Labor in 2007 and they never delivered. The upgrades will mean free-flowing traffic from the connection of the Southern Expressway all the way to Daws Road. In addition, the project contains much-needed improvements to the Marion and Sturt Road intersection. Currently preparations for South Road upgrades at Darlington are underway, with soil and utility investigations taking place over the last two months. I am excited to see these upgrades finally starting. Major construction works are scheduled to commence late this year, and the project will create approximately 370 jobs each year.