Underground land acquisition

Under the Land Acquisition Act 1969, no compensation is payable for underground acquisition because there is no loss of use of your land.

With underground land acquisition, the property at the surface level to 10 metres below the surface does not need to be acquired. This means as a property owner, you can continue to live in, work in or rent your property like you do today.

Entitlement to limited compensation only exists if property owners own a lawful well or a right to take the water from the underground land using a lawful well, subject to requirements specified in the Land Acquisition Act 1969.

An application for compensation must be made within six months after the publication of a Notice of Acquisition to acquire Underground Land.

No, the tunnels will run deep underground, from around 10 metres to around 25 metres below the surface.

Yes, you will still be able to renovate or build in the future, including building a swimming pool or underground cellar, provided the relevant development approvals are in place.

It depends on where your property is located relative to the tunnels. Only the underground land (from 10 metres below the surface) that is needed for the project will be acquired. A land survey will determine what underground land is required.

The underground land (from 10 metres below the surface) will either be fully or partially acquired:

• Full underground land acquisition means that, from a depth of 10 metres below the surface, the underground land contained within all of the property’s boundaries will be acquired.
• Partial underground land acquisition means that, from a depth of 10 metres below the surface, a portion of the underground land within the property’s boundaries will be acquired.

Yes. Once the land survey has been completed, plans will be developed, the area of underground land will be acquired, and a new Certificate of Title (CT) will be issued for your property.

Two sets of tunnels will be built for the River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project - in the north (Richmond to Torrensville) and south (Clovelly Park to Glandore) with an open motorway connecting them. The tunnels will run deep underground from 10 metres to around 25 metres below the surface.

There are some measures we need to put in place before tunnelling works can begin to protect the integrity and ongoing operation of the new tunnels. This includes acquiring land from 10 metres (approximately three storeys) below the surface along the tunnel alignment.

If we were not acquiring underground land from 10 metres deep to build the tunnels, we would have needed to acquire and demolish approximately another 300 homes and businesses to complete the T2D Project.

The Highways Act 1926 gives authority to the Commissioner of Highways to acquire underground land for roadwork. The Land Acquisition Act 1969 prescribes the process for acquiring the underground land.

The Land Acquisition Act 1969 was amended in July 2020, to make sure the new tunnels being built could be protected.

Yes. A survey is a requirement of the underground land acquisition process to allow us to create a new Certificate of Title for the land 10 metres and below the surface.

In order to accurately survey a property, we need a line of sight to all boundaries of the property. This is sometimes only possible from within the property boundary.

It is important to note that we generally will not need to enter inside your home or business, only the outside of the property.

Yes, the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (the Department) will need to be advised prior to undertaking the survey if you have ownership of a well that provides access to underground water.

As long as the surveyors are able to gain access within your property boundary and do not need to enter inside your home or business, you will not be required to be on site whilst the survey is undertaken. In most instances, access to inside your home or building is not required.

The T2D Project team will notify you in advance to advise when we will be in your local area to complete survey works.

Yes, if required. The surveys are not intrusive and will simply involve surveyors carrying handheld surveying equipment and tripods to record boundary measurements. In most instances they will only require access within your property boundary and not inside your premises. However, we can reschedule it to an alternative time if required.

If you need to reschedule the survey to a more convenient time, please contact the T2D Engagement Team on 1800 572 414 or email T2D@sa.gov.au.

No. It’s very unlikely that construction of the tunnels will have any surface level impacts.

The way the project is constructed, including the type of tunnel boring machine (TBM) used, is being carefully planned to suit the ground conditions. Any potential ground movement will be well controlled as part of the tunnelling process.

However, to reassure residents and property owners, appropriate mitigation measures, including building condition surveys and ongoing vibration monitoring, will be undertaken to suitably protect properties along the project corridor.

To give property owners above the tunnel alignment as much assurance as possible, detailed property condition assessments will be undertaken prior to tunnelling works occurring and after they have been completed. This is common on major transport projects delivered by the Department for Infrastructure and Transport and will give people a clear understanding of the condition of their property before works occur and confirm the condition of the property after the TBMs have passed underneath and the tunnel is constructed.

No. People will not be able to hear the TBMs while they are tunnelling underneath a property.

It is expected that it will typically take around three days for a TBM to excavate and line the tunnel underneath each property.

Tunnel boring will start in 2026.

If you would find it useful, confidential health and wellbeing support is available and funded through the Department.

You can contact our dedicated service provider PsychMed on 8232 2424 and advise that you have received correspondence from the Department. Alternatively, please contact the T2D Project team for further information on 1800 572 414.

Additional support and legal representation is available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (ALRM). This service is confidential and ALRM can be contacted on 1800 643 222.