Nearly a third of all South Australian councils have signed their support for the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass project.
A letter signed by 21 councils, or roughly 30 per cent of all SA councils, have backed the bypass as well as the High Productivity Vehicle Network (HPVN) project.
The 21 councils are advocating strong support for diverting heavy freight vehicles away from residential suburbs in Adelaide to a purpose-built corridor via Murray Bridge and Sedan.
Leading this advocacy campaign, City of Burnside Mayor Anne Monceaux issued a letter on behalf of the 21 councils to nine federal and state ministers and state government department heads, requesting that both levels of government commit to full and coordinated funding to ensure the complete delivery of this transformative infrastructure initiative.
“This is a transformative opportunity to enhance freight logistics, improve community safety, and deliver better environmental outcomes across South Australia,” Monceaux says.
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“No other capital city in Australia has a major freight route through its suburbs, so why should Adelaide?
“All 21 councils commend the federal government’s commitment of $525 million over 10 years in the 2025/26 budget and acknowledge the state government’s recognition of the project as a priority. However the project needs to be fully funded through matched state and federal contributions.”
The letter was directed to SA transport minister Emily Bourke as well as a range of other SA and federal ministers.
Recent estimates suggest that the freight bypass will divert around 420,000 trucks per year from metropolitan Adelaide roads.
This equates to approximately one truck per minute, a significant pressure on key corridors such as Portrush Road, Glen Osmond Road, Cross Road and the South Eastern Freeway.
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