Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last month I was delighted to announce a significant milestone for the $170 million Oaklands Crossing grade separation, with design work beginning on the project. The federal Liberal government has committed a total of $95 million to fix the crossing, which the state Labor government had not fixed in 40 years. I was proud to be the first member of parliament to secure funding of $40 million during the 2016 federal election campaign. When state Labor refused to provide the remaining funding required to progress the project, I fought for and secured an additional $55 million. I would like to thank the Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities for his hard work and support on the project. Thanks also to the hard work of my state Liberal colleagues Corey Wingard and David Speirs, who drove the Fix Oaklands Crossing campaign.

Fixing the gridlocked intersection will have huge benefits for my community by helping residents get to work, school, local businesses, Westfield Marion and the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre more quickly, while greatly improving road safety. Forty-one thousand vehicles pass through the crossing daily, and the boom gates can be closed for a total of two hours a day. It is ranked as one of Adelaide's most dangerous crossings. This project will vastly improve safety for road and rail commuters and will ensure the safety of thousands of pedestrians and cyclists who use the crossing each day.

This project represents my commitment to delivering better road infrastructure for the residents of Boothby and illustrates what can be achieved for the community when state and federal Liberals work together.

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