Contractors selected for multi-million-dollar congestion busting hills interchanges

Friday, 20 June 2025

Contracts have been awarded to deliver $150 million upgrades of the Mount Barker and Verdun Interchanges, with major construction set to begin in late 2025.

Bardavcol Pty Ltd has been awarded the contract for the upgrade of the Mount Barker Interchange, while a joint venture between BMD and Leed will undertake the Verdun Interchange Upgrade.

Bardavcol is a South Australian company with more than 45 years of experience in civil infrastructure, including on the Marion Road and Sir Donald Bradman Drive intersection upgrade currently underway.

The company previously delivered the safety upgrades on Main Road, Cherry Gardens as part of the Adelaide Hills Productivity and Road Safety Package.

BMD is an Australian engineering, construction and urban development business that has worked with the State Government on projects including the South Eastern Freeway Managed Motorway between Crafers and Stirling and is delivering the upcoming River Road Junction Improvements.

Leed is a South Australian-based civil contractor founded in 2001. With over 23 years experience, they have previously worked on projects including the South Road Superway.

The interchange projects aim to improve connectivity to the South Eastern Freeway and improve the capacity of the interchanges in response to existing and projected growth for Mount Barker and the Adelaide Hills area.

Upgrading the Mount Barker and Verdun interchanges on the South Eastern Freeway will improve safety and traffic flow for the thousands of motorists who travel every day between the city and Adelaide Hills communities, including Mount Barker.

Approximately 31,200 vehicles travel along the Freeway between the Mount Barker and Verdun interchanges each day, with 46,000 vehicles travelling from Verdun into the city and approximately 31,200 vehicles travelling across the Mount Barker interchange between Littlehampton and Mount Barker.

The current Mount Barker Interchange is subject to significant traffic congestion and queuing, with 43 crashes reported between 2019 and 2023.

It will be upgraded to include a new three-lane bridge across the South Eastern Freeway for northbound traffic, the conversion of the existing bridge to accommodate three lanes of southbound traffic and a new shared use path, plus improved ramp capacity and new traffic signals to improve safety.

The project will also include pavement rehabilitation and safety upgrades such as smart lighting.

The existing Verdun Interchange will be upgraded to a full interchange, allowing access to and from the South Eastern Freeway in both directions to improve connectivity and traffic flow.

It will feature an eastbound entry ramp towards Mount Barker, and a new westbound exit ramp, which will cross under the existing westbound entry ramp and connect with a new roundabout at Mount Barker Road adjacent to Silver Road.

The upgrade also includes pavement rehabilitation and upgrades to traffic barriers on the existing Adelaide-bound entry ramp and bridge pier protection on Mount Barker Road.

There were 11 reported crashes at the Verdun Interchange between 2019 and 2023.

The total project cost to upgrade the Mount Barker and Verdun interchanges is $150 million, with the Australian Government committing $120 million and the State Government contributing $30 million.

This project will support approximately 260 full-time equivalent jobs per year during the construction period.

Major construction on the interchanges is expected to begin in late 2025 and be completed by late 2027.