[COM] South Road Superway | $842m | 3km

[Torrens_5022]

Anyone going to the open day today? Photos?! I can't make it as I have to work..

I've taken HEAPS of pics today!
http://flic.kr/s/aHsjHHRajP

Excellent photographic coverage - well done

Great pics - I was wondering is that Barton Vale house in this photo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanthesco ... 5216260831

[Aidan]

What was the turnout like? Doesn't look like a full house, sadly.

'Twas better in the arvo when it as sunny.

I went along today as well. Was surprised that they let you walk most of the down track (I was expecting to get up on the on-ramp, and not much further), and they had the machine that's slowly putting the up track together going as well.

Whereas I was expecting slightly more to be open (specifically the ramp down to Grand Junction Road - but it was fenced off so everyone had to walk back to the start).

I did notice on one of the covered road signs that the official name for the Superway will be the North-South Motorway.

That surprises me - there's not likely to be a North-South Motorway any time soon, and signs aren't particularly expensive to replace.

[drsmith]

Those images provide an interesting perspective of the project. If I was in Adelaide, I would have visited it myself. There was a similar open day for the Northbridge tunnel in Perth just prior to its opening and I went to that. It seems almost like yesterday, but that was over 10 years ago now.

I found the following image particularly interesting in that it shows at grade connections between the service road under the Superway and Sailsbury Highway.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanthesco ... /lightbox/

It's hard from the image so see the precise detail, but if it involves connections to the eastbound carriageway on the Sailsbury Highway, one would imagine signals would be required. IIRC, this connection is a departure from earlier plans which had the service road terminating before reaching the Sailsbury Highway.

As for naming, my vote is for the Sturt Expressway (or Motorway) with the logic being that the Northern Expressway and all new corridor constructions further south once complete are logically extensions of the Sturt Highway.

Was there any indication from the open day as to whether the project would be completed in December either in part (southbound carriageway) or in full ?

[rhino]

As for naming, my vote is for the Sturt Expressway (or Motorway) with the logic being that the Northern Expressway and all new corridor constructions further south once complete are logically extensions of the Sturt Highway.

My choice of name, which I mentioned a couple of years ago for the Northern Expressway, Northern Connector, Gawler Bypass, et al, was the Charles Sturt Expressway, for reasons similar to yours, and also that it would eventually extend through the City of Charles Sturt (at Hindmarsh). The northern end (at this point in time, anyway) would be the Greenock exit, where the dual carriageway ends, and from there on, the Sturt Highway. Not sure where the southern terminus of the name should be. The River Torrens? That's where the current South Road numbering starts, and heads north and south from there.

[Hooligan]

William light motorway?

[Mr Smith]

Aiden or others, can you explain the difference (if one even exists) between a Motorway and an Expressway?

[rhino]

Aiden or others, can you explain the difference (if one even exists) between a Motorway and an Expressway?

I believe the access to an expressway is not controlled to the same extent as a motorway (or Freeway) - hence the existance of a set of traffic lights on the Port River Expressway at Perkins Drive.

[drsmith]

From what I can tell, the expressions Freeway, Expressway and Motorway are used interchangeably to describe limited access routes with free-flowing connections. The Sturt Highway northeast of the Main North Road bridge may not strictly comply with the above as while not controlled itself, there are intersections at grade with conflicting movements.

I like the sound of the Charles Sturt Expressway for all the sections from the Main North Road bridge on the northern side of Gawler to Regency Road. The Southern end could be named the Colonel Light Expressway with the distinction between the two ultimately being at Anzac Highway when the intermediate sections are completed.

[neoballmon]

So I drove through again tonight (access Northbound only reached GJR, where I was forced to turn left (West) and do a U-turn to head East).

Approaching GJR, One of the previously covered overhead gantries had been uncovered, and it showed a warning message (through rotating sign portions, not LED display), saying that "Changed traffic conditions on M3. Expect Delays". So I thought this had been named the M3.
But then on GJR, approaching South Road (after my U-turn), this sign appeared the same, but said M2. The one on the other side of South Road appeared to as well.

So they've given this 'Motorway' two designations, M2, and M3.
And if it's meant to be M2, which is the same as the Southern Expressway, that will cause large amounts of confusion until the 2 sections are connected at freeway grade..

[Brucetiki]

So I drove through again tonight (access Northbound only reached GJR, where I was forced to turn left (West) and do a U-turn to head East).

Approaching GJR, One of the previously covered overhead gantries had been uncovered, and it showed a warning message (through rotating sign portions, not LED display), saying that "Changed traffic conditions on M3. Expect Delays". So I thought this had been named the M3.
But then on GJR, approaching South Road (after my U-turn), this sign appeared the same, but said M2. The one on the other side of South Road appeared to as well.

So they've given this 'Motorway' two designations, M2, and M3.
And if it's meant to be M2, which is the same as the Southern Expressway, that will cause large amounts of confusion until the 2 sections are connected at freeway grade..

The M2 is probably a typo, and the correct naming should be M3 - how the hell could you stuff that up though.

When I first saw it given a 'Motorway' status, I thought it was incredibly short for a Motorway, but then I remembered the M3 in Belfast is shorter (1.5km) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3_motorwa ... n_Ireland)

[rev]

So I drove through again tonight (access Northbound only reached GJR, where I was forced to turn left (West) and do a U-turn to head East).

Approaching GJR, One of the previously covered overhead gantries had been uncovered, and it showed a warning message (through rotating sign portions, not LED display), saying that "Changed traffic conditions on M3. Expect Delays". So I thought this had been named the M3.
But then on GJR, approaching South Road (after my U-turn), this sign appeared the same, but said M2. The one on the other side of South Road appeared to as well.

So they've given this 'Motorway' two designations, M2, and M3.
And if it's meant to be M2, which is the same as the Southern Expressway, that will cause large amounts of confusion until the 2 sections are connected at freeway grade..

The M2 is probably a typo, and the correct naming should be M3 - how the hell could you stuff that up though.

When I first saw it given a 'Motorway' status, I thought it was incredibly short for a Motorway, but then I remembered the M3 in Belfast is shorter (1.5km) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3_motorwa ... n_Ireland)

There's a sign on Regency Road which says M2 as well...

[DM8]

There's a sign on Regency Road which says M2 as well...

...and on Grand Junction Road too, showing the "North South Motorway" as National M2. If I get a chance, I'll grab some photos.

There's a changeable sign on South Rd heading north towards regency that also says exactly the same thing - "Changed traffic conditions on M3. Expect Delays".

Makes no sense to me, my guess is somebody got it wrong (twice). I reckon it's the M3 that's the typo and it should all be M2. With A3 being Cross Rd, I can see M3 confusing people.

[neoballmon]

There's a sign on Regency Road which says M2 as well...

Makes no sense to me, my guess is somebody got it wrong (twice). I reckon it's the M3 that's the typo and it should all be M2. With A3 being Cross Rd, I can see M3 confusing people.

But the M2 is already the Southern Expressway. This would be even more confusing!

[[Shuz]]

But that would be exactly the point, seeing as the two ends are envisioned to eventually be linked together, so I can understand it being given an M2 designation for that reason.

Mind you, it doesn't explain the M20 (I know it was designated M20, because Main North Road is A20) designation for the Northern Expressway, seeing as that will link into the Northern Connector, which in turn links to the North-South Motorway.

[DM8]

Main North Road was changed to A52 when the Northern Expressway opened, but the changing of signage seems to have stalled. I've heard that the Northern Connector will be M20, which suggests a changeover from M20 to M2 at the superway/PRExy interchange.