This morning marks a major win for our community, with funding announced for the grade separation of the Hove Railway Crossing at Brighton Road.  This is a giant step forward to fixing traffic congestion and improving safety along the Brighton Road Corridor.

I had the pleasure to meet with the Premier Steven Marshall MP, Minister for Transport, the Hon Stephen Knoll MP, the Hon David Speirs MP and Federal Member for Boothby Nicolle Flint MP this morning to announce that $171 million has been jointly secured by the Marshall and Morrison Governments.  

What a journey it has been!  This morning trains pulled in at the lowered Oaklands Railway Station.  It was a fantastic sight, and certainly one our community has worked long and hard to see achieved. 

Hasn’t time flown by? Only one more week until commuters will no longer have to stop for trains at Oaklands Crossing! 

Oaklands Crossing has been an issue in our community for decades and to finally see our community’s hard work payoff is nothing short of amazing.

As you may recall, it was in June 2017 that $174 million in Federal, State and Local Council funding was announced which would see the Seaford rail line be lowered to tunnel under Morphett Road as well as a new lowered Oaklands Railway Station. 

Each year I have the honour of presenting Community Recognition Awards to deserving people in our community whose work tends to go under the radar.  These people work tirelessly to improve and serve our local area but are often not formally recognised.  It is often the lesser known efforts that make the biggest difference to the lives of others.  Knowing this, I established these Community Recognition Awards to seek out those people and acknowledge how much their work is appreciated.

In March 2018, South Australians voted for a new government and a strong plan for real change.

The Marshall Liberal Government hasn't wasted a second delivering on our promises to create more jobs, lower costs and provide better services.

On Sunday, I was pleased to announce that there is now a light at the end of the tunnel for local residents, commuters and everyone else who has followed our Fix Oaklands Crossing journey! The crossing is set to be fixed for the most part in May, once the lowered Seaford railway line is connected. This means motorists will no longer have to stop for trains at the Morphett Road and Diagonal Road intersection!

Last week I was able to go on a guided tour of the Oaklands Crossing Project and receive a close up look at the impressive sunken station and Morphett Road bridge. The PTPA staff were extremely knowledgeable and have a great understanding of every little moving part which makes up the project. Please scroll down to see more photos taken during my time on site.

As we move in to March we will now see more roadworks (including night works) along Dunrobin, Diagonal and Morphett Roads. These works will include the installation of underground traffic signals and road lighting conduits in preparation for the new signalised Dunrobin / Diagonal intersection. This part of the project is due to be completed by the end of April.

Whilst January is often the time of year when everyone takes some time out to relax, enjoy the sun and rev themselves up for the start of another year, it is one of the busiest and best times in our local community.  With the official openings of both the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club Tower and Brighton Jetty Sculptures Exhibition, and being able to witness the record breaking ‘Marilyn’s’ as part of the Brighton Jetty Classic, I have been spending some wonderful times down by the beach.

Whilst the weather may have been keeping the majority of us inside, works have continued at Oaklands Crossing as we start to creep closer to April 2019!  This is when the rail line is scheduled to be connected to the current Seaford line and the new station will officially be opened. 

With only one more weekend before Christmas, I thought it would be a great time to share some of the achievements that have occurred at the Oaklands Crossing Project over the last few, very busy, months. 

Since October we have seen the second traffic switch occur, the installation of the nine “Super-T” beams and deck pour for the eastern side of the Morphett Road Bridge.  This means that in the New Year, the project team will be full steam ahead excavating under the bridge ready for the new railway track.