[U/C] M2 North-South Motorway

[Spotto]

Rail is great for hauling freight long distances, or for hauling bulk (rocks and seeds) on a regular basis. It is not so good for short distance (up to about 800km) general freight because of the time needed to transload from truck to train and back to truck for final delivery, vs stay on the truck for the whole journey. Diverting the interstate rail route around Adelaide would result in more freight going on to trucks, and coming down the South Eastern Freeway to access Adelaide, due to the time required to get rail freight from the eastern states (specifically Melbourne) right around Adelaide and then back into it by truck.

Agreed. It would be more beneficial for rail freight if the money was put into rerouting the line out of Belair and Blackwood and used a shorter route following Brown Hill Creek using viaducts to reach Crafers Interchange and use SEF to Bridgewater, then it can either rejoin the current line or the SEF alignment can continue further to just east of Callington where the railway and SEF almost touch.

Eliminates the longest, curviest diversion of the freight line so slightly shorter journey. Removes noisy and traffic-disrupting rail freight from the hills. The freight track between Mitcham and Belair can be converted back to BG so that the Belair Line is once again duplicated without having to add an extra line of track. Win-win for freight who've now got a more direct route, traffic that no longer has to wait for freight to pass their level crossing, residents that no longer have to hear the freight trains, and makes future regional trains more attractive since the route southeast is now more direct and on a straighter route (i.e. no slow curves = faster train).

[SBD]

Rail is great for hauling freight long distances, or for hauling bulk (rocks and seeds) on a regular basis. It is not so good for short distance (up to about 800km) general freight because of the time needed to transload from truck to train and back to truck for final delivery, vs stay on the truck for the whole journey. Diverting the interstate rail route around Adelaide would result in more freight going on to trucks, and coming down the South Eastern Freeway to access Adelaide, due to the time required to get rail freight from the eastern states (specifically Melbourne) right around Adelaide and then back into it by truck.

Agreed. It would be more beneficial for rail freight if the money was put into rerouting the line out of Belair and Blackwood and used a shorter route following Brown Hill Creek using viaducts to reach Crafers Interchange and use SEF to Bridgewater, then it can either rejoin the current line or the SEF alignment can continue further to just east of Callington where the railway and SEF almost touch.

Eliminates the longest, curviest diversion of the freight line so slightly shorter journey. Removes noisy and traffic-disrupting rail freight from the hills. The freight track between Mitcham and Belair can be converted back to BG so that the Belair Line is once again duplicated without having to add an extra line of track. Win-win for freight who've now got a more direct route, traffic that no longer has to wait for freight to pass their level crossing, residents that no longer have to hear the freight trains, and makes future regional trains more attractive since the route southeast is now more direct and on a straighter route (i.e. no slow curves = faster train).

You can't make a freight railway more efficient by reducing the horizontal distance if it still goes over the highest point. If it's 1:45 or 1:48 now from near Keswick to Mount Lofty, the fix has to be to not go near Mount Lofty Station, not to find a more direct route.

The attempt to make a smoother, shorter route up/down hill is what has led to the concerns about the dangerous intersection at Glen Osmond. The Adelaide-Crafers Freeway is shorter and a more uniform grade than the road it replaced.

[rhino]

You can't make a freight railway more efficient by reducing the horizontal distance if it still goes over the highest point. If it's 1:45 or 1:48 now from near Keswick to Mount Lofty, the fix has to be to not go near Mount Lofty Station, not to find a more direct route.

The route does not have to be more direct, just less bendy. Broad curves might even mean a longe route (maybe from Mount Barker, via Mount Bold to Adelaide) - but still, importantly, through suburban Adelaide, not bypassing it. The worst result would be for Adelaide freight yards to become a stub (dead end) freight yard. Rail traffic would definitely be lost.

[Furyan]

R2P Project update March 2020:

https://r2palliance.com.au/assets/volum ... 020_v2.pdf

The R2P Alliance project team is trialling for the first time in Australia, the use of a Site Podium app for the R2P Project, which can be downloaded on your smart phone.
The app presents the information in a social media feed style, allowing photos and information to be shared quickly.
It will also include an option for the public to provide feedback about current project works and design, as well as a message option for the public to contact the R2P Alliance project team.

Available here:

https://r2palliance.com.au/resources/sitepodium-app

[rev]

Work is continuing on this, doesn't seem to be slowing down but then again we don't know their schedules.

[ChillyPhilly]

R2P Project update March 2020:

https://r2palliance.com.au/assets/volum ... 020_v2.pdf

The R2P Alliance project team is trialling for the first time in Australia, the use of a Site Podium app for the R2P Project, which can be downloaded on your smart phone.
The app presents the information in a social media feed style, allowing photos and information to be shared quickly.
It will also include an option for the public to provide feedback about current project works and design, as well as a message option for the public to contact the R2P Alliance project team.

Available here:

https://r2palliance.com.au/resources/sitepodium-app

The app is a cool idea, and could pave the way for some local innovations in community engagement with major projects.

[Norman]

Some photos from today

[alexczarn]

Frankly, the signage bugs me. Especially the Marion Road exit signage. The old individual lane arrow style is in my eyes, the easiest to read and make sense of.

[SBD]

Where do the roads on either side of the bridge come from? The bridge is from South Road, so one side must from the Southern Expressway, but which one, and where does the other one come from?

[ChillyPhilly]

Where do the roads on either side of the bridge come from? The bridge is from South Road, so one side must from the Southern Expressway, but which one, and where does the other one come from?

Probably also SExy, but it's an exit; the other lane from SExy would continue northward.

[Goodsy]

Where do the roads on either side of the bridge come from? The bridge is from South Road, so one side must from the Southern Expressway, but which one, and where does the other one come from?

Both from the expressway, one is marked for Flinders Drive and Ayliffes road, other is for South road. Although they merge together before Ayliffes road so if you take the wrong one you can still change lanes

[SBD]

Where do the roads on either side of the bridge come from? The bridge is from South Road, so one side must from the Southern Expressway, but which one, and where does the other one come from?

Both from the expressway, one is marked for Flinders Drive and Ayliffes road, other is for South road. Although they merge together before Ayliffes road so if you take the wrong one you can still change lanes

Is that the final design, or will something change so that Southern Expressway traffic doesn't have to split and go round the bridge ramp once everything is finished?

[alexczarn]

Where do the roads on either side of the bridge come from? The bridge is from South Road, so one side must from the Southern Expressway, but which one, and where does the other one come from?

Both from the expressway, one is marked for Flinders Drive and Ayliffes road, other is for South road. Although they merge together before Ayliffes road so if you take the wrong one you can still change lanes

Is that the final design, or will something change so that Southern Expressway traffic doesn't have to split and go round the bridge ramp once everything is finished?

It is signed for 2 lanes SEXPY Northbound on the right hand side.

[NYG]

Both from the expressway, one is marked for Flinders Drive and Ayliffes road, other is for South road. Although they merge together before Ayliffes road so if you take the wrong one you can still change lanes

Is that the final design, or will something change so that Southern Expressway traffic doesn't have to split and go round the bridge ramp once everything is finished?

It is signed for 2 lanes SEXPY Northbound on the right hand side.

[alexczarn]

Is that the final design, or will something change so that Southern Expressway traffic doesn't have to split and go round the bridge ramp once everything is finished?

It is signed for 2 lanes SEXPY Northbound on the right hand side.

It's also signed for the 2 lanes before the South Road/Flinders Drive off ramps, which is the sign I was referring to.