James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I had the privilege of being joined by the finance minister, Senator Birmingham, to see the progress on one of the great election commitments in the heart of my electorate of Sturt, the Magill Road and Portrush Road intersection, which is getting a $96 million upgrade under the Urban Congestion Fund, jointly funded by the Commonwealth government and the state government of South Australia. Progress is very impressive. It's good to see that they're almost ready to start laying the tarmac there. The difficult parts—the undergrounding of services et cetera and the relocation of a big 66-kilovolt line from the nearby substation—have all occurred. The fun part is upon us. We are about to lay the tarmac and see some of the new lanes opening.

This intersection is on Highway 1. Portrush Road is part of Highway 1, so it's good to see that we're investing in what is a real choke point in the middle of my electorate. Sixty-five thousand vehicles a day are estimated to use the intersection, on both Portrush and Magill roads, so it's a timely investment in overhauling that. We're turning two lanes into three in both directions of Portrush Road, as well as creating double right-hand turn lanes from the current single right-hand turn lanes. Other upgrades to Magill Road on that intersection mean that families are going to get home quicker and safer. It's a great outcome for all the people who live in the area, in my electorate of Sturt.