http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 7372025705
IIRC, the federal government was prepared to offer money for the Northern Connector under a freight toll funding model similar to Perth Freight Link in WA but the SA state government rejected it. If following the WA model, the toll would have been broader than the Northern Connector and would have likely included the Northern Expressway and Superway.
The funding for WA's Perth Freight Link hasn't gone quiet to plan with the state government having to increase its funding component due to lack of private sector interest in that component of the funding. Even if it had initially agreed, the SA government may not have been too keen on that. The WA state government now hopes to sell the freight toll income stream to the private sector some time after construction. The WA state government also has the added incentive in that Perth Freight Link will help to support the value of the Fremantle inner harbor, an asset it's now looking to sell.
The tragedy for SA is that the Northern Connector overall is more shovel ready than Perth Freight Link (PFL). For the western section of PFL, the route is not yet decided but the planning race is on to enable construction of that section to start late next year. Planning for the eastern section (Roe8) is far more advanced with construction expected to start on that early next year.
Had the SA government been more accepting of the federal government's suggestion, construction of the Northern Connector could have potentially been under way late next year or in 2017. I note though that from last weeks report that fill over the Dry Creek salt pans would require a year to settle before road construction of that section could even begin.
AS it is, Adelaide will shortly have two large road projects under simultaneous construction.