A suite of key road projects in the mid-north of South Australia, which includes the Joy Baluch AM Bridge Duplication Project, Port Wakefield Overpass and Highway Duplication Project, Augusta Highway Duplication (Port Wakefield to Lochiel) Project, together with smaller regional infrastructure works, is being delivered under the banner of a single Alliance. These projects are already improving safety and freight productivity along this section of Australia’s National Land Transport Network.
The Port Wakefield to Port Augusta (PW2PA) Alliance, a consortium comprising CPB Contractors, Aurecon and GHD, in alliance with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, has designed and constructed the works which are now largely complete, with the exception of the Augusta Highway Duplication (Port Wakefield to Lochiel) Project which is expected to be completed in 2024.
Local South Australian company and sub-Alliance partner, McMahon Services, is delivering key aspects of these important works, demonstrating the Alliance’s commitment to local and small-to-medium enterprises.
This region of South Australia is a strategically important transport corridor, providing access for commuter, commercial and freight traffic. It is also a hub for South Australia's mineral-rich far north and western regions, and anticipated growth in this region is expected to exert further pressure on its road network.
Joy Baluch AM Bridge Duplication Project
A high volume of local and freight traffic was using the existing aged and narrow Joy Baluch AM Bridge to cross the northern-most section of the Spencer Gulf between east and west Port Augusta. The critical nature of this link also meant that the road system was vulnerable to incidents on the bridge.
The need for a duplication of the existing bridge had become increasingly evident.
Following completion of the new 550-metre-long structure over the Gulf in May 2022, the Alliance commenced extensive refurbishment and widening works on the existing bridge, which was built in the early 1970s. The new and refurbished sections of the Joy Baluch AM Bridge provides local communities, visitors and freight traffic with twin lanes in each direction.
Pedestrians and cyclists also benefit greatly from the project, with dedicated paths now safely separated from traffic. A 3.5-metre-wide Shared Use Path in each direction replaces the single 1.5-metre-wide footpath that existed previously.
