The piling works involved a 32m-high piling rig drilling to install 141 piles along the length of the site. The next stage of the project will involve excavating the lowered rail line and construction of the pedestrian bridge over the rail line that will provide direct access to the eastern end of the new station platforms.
Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher welcomed the progress on the vital upgrade to ease congestion and improve safety.
“Building a rail underpass at Morphett Road will significantly reduce delays for the 42,000 vehicles which travel through this level crossing each weekday,” Mr Fletcher said.
“On an average weekday the boom gates at Oaklands Crossing are lowered for approximately 25% during peak traffic times, so removing this level crossing will slash delays for people using this part of the southern suburbs road network by more than 90 minutes a day.
Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government Stephan Knoll said that through the establishment of Infrastructure SA, the Marshall government would develop a pipeline of key infrastructure projects.
“Projects like this are so important, they make public transport services faster and more efficient, encourage more South Australians to use our public transport network which also helps relieve traffic congestion by getting more cars off the road,” Knoll said.
The project is expected to be completed in the second half of next year.
The $174.3 million project is joint funded, with the Australian government committing $95 million, the state government $74.3 million and the City of Marion $5 million.