New bridge at Main South Road opens to traffic

Wednesday, 11 October 2023

Almost 17,000 vehicles travelling on Main South Road every day will have a smoother and safer journey when a newly installed bridge at Seaford Heights opens to traffic for the first time this week.

The four-lane Pedler Creek Bridge is partially opening to traffic on Friday morning, replacing the old two-lane bridge.

Two lanes on the eastern side of the bridge will open – providing one lane in each direction – as work continues to complete the lanes on the western side, with the bridge expected to fully open to traffic by the end of the year. 

The bridge also includes a shared use path, which will open when the four lanes are operational, to provide safe access for cyclists and pedestrians travelling across Main South Road.

The new Pedler Creek Bridge is 161 metres long and almost 24 metres wide. It is supported by 50 super-T support beams, each around 35 metres long and weighing up to 64 tonnes. These huge concrete beams were poured at local contractor Bianco Precast and trucked to the site.

A 400-tonne mobile crane and a 600-tonne crawler crane were used to put the beams in place. 

The new bridge is a critical piece of infrastructure – and one of the largest – for the 9.8-kilometre Main South Road duplication from Griffiths Drive, Seaford, to Port Road, Aldinga. 

Demolition of the old bridge will start in the coming weeks and is forecast to take about eight weeks to complete.

The State and Federal governments have joint-committed $685 million to the Main South Road and Victor Harbor Road Duplication projects. 

So far, in total, 11.7 kilometres of road pavement has been laid; 99,250 tonnes of asphalt and 5,640 metres of drainage has been installed; 94 per cent of earthworks completed; and nine kilometres of shared use path has been built.

When finished, these projects will result in safer and faster journeys for motorists travelling south of Adelaide and provide a vital boost for local tourism and communities. 

The projects have supported around 945 full-time jobs each year during construction, including up to 30 apprentice and traineeship opportunities, with a 99 per cent South Australian workforce.