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South Eastern Freeway Upgrade Project

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport (the Department) is undertaking a major refit and upgrade of the Heysen Tunnels to address current tunnel elements that are at the end of their service life, improve safety and provide improved traffic management and incident response capabilities.

The Australian and South Australian governments have jointly committed funding towards the Heysen Tunnels Refit and Safety Upgrade, with the Australian Government contributing $120 million and South Australian Government $30 million, as part of a broader South Eastern Freeway Upgrade, which also includes Stage 2 of the Managed Motorway Measures project.

The South Eastern Freeway provides the most direct connection between Adelaide and Melbourne. It is a key corridor connecting Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills. As part of the National Land Transport Network, maintaining efficient operation of the Freeway is recognised by Infrastructure Australia as a nationally significant issue.

South Eastern Freeway - Resurfacing Works

We are undertaking road resurfacing works on the South Eastern Freeway. These works will improve the safety and amenity of the road for all users. Works will be in place from Sunday 17 March 2024 until early April (weather permitting). For details of the resurfacing works please see the works notice.

Heysen Tunnels works include:

  • upgrading the tunnel lighting system to a new LED configuration;
  • installing a new automated fire suppression system;
  • upgrading the tunnel ventilation system;
  • repairing the tunnel lining and installing monitoring equipment;
  • upgrading the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) equipment including thermal incident detection systems, new and replacement Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), electronic variable speed and messaging signage and over height vehicle detection;
  • upgrading the traffic management system to restrict access to the tunnels in the event of an emergency incident; and
  • upgrading the emergency communication systems, including public address, radio rebroadcast, in-tunnel signage and help phones to improve safety and network reliability.

The South Eastern Freeway Upgrade Project will improve the incident management, safety, and reliability of the South Eastern Freeway by extending Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).

Current Works

The majority of works will be undertaken Sundays to Thursdays between 7pm and 6am. Some works may also occur on Friday or Saturday nights, or on public holidays.  Advance notice of traffic impacts will be provided by on site messaging boards.

Project Timing

Initial activities and tunnel lining repairs commenced on 19 March 2023.

The project is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024, weather permitting.

To register to receive project updates, please click here to subscribe for updates or contact the project team at:

Email: DIT.engagement@sa.gov.au
Phone: 1300 794 880