Swanport Bridge duplication study will go ahead in 2022
South Australia's government has agreed to consider the pros and cons.
Eighteen months from now, we’ll know whether a second Swanport Bridge is ever likely to be built.
A study of the potential costs and benefits to the project will go ahead after the state government agreed to match a federal funding commitment.
The study will also consider whether the Dukes Highway should be duplicated south of Tailem Bend, out to the Mallee Highway intersection.
That project would also require a new bridge to be built.
Both bridges, over the River Murray and the Adelaide-Melbourne railway line, carry only one lane of traffic in each direction at present.
State Treasurer Rob Lucas included the investigation in a $27 million “business case fund” announced on Saturday.
Investing in infrastructure projects like new bridges would create thousands of jobs, he said.
“By expanding the business case fund, we equip agencies with the necessary funds to ensure South Australia remains one-step ahead on major job-creating projects,” he said.
“We also provide our multi-billion construction industry, which supports thousands of local jobs, with a steady pipeline of work for years to come.”
Federal MP Tony Pasin argued last month that duplicating the Swanport Bridge would make motorists safer and the state’s transport industry more productive.
The study is expected to go ahead in 2022.
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