Mike Turtur Bikeway Overpass cancelled to protect Forestville Reserve and 50 trees
“We’ve saved Forestville Reserve! This is a great day for our environment and for the long-term future of our beloved and beautiful local reserve,” Member for Badcoe Jayne Stinson said.
“The government’s listened to locals, undertaken detailed and meaningful consultation, along with engineering analysis of all possible alternatives.”
“People in my community are serious about protecting – and growing – our canopy cover and green public spaces. We’ve fought hard to protect what makes our suburb special and I commend everyone for making their voice heard,” Ms Stinson said.
“As a Forestville local myself, I know this is a special place and a drawcard for families and young people. It would have been a travesty to lose it.”
“The three key problems all user groups wanted fixed will also be remedied. Firstly, hugely widening the two narrow pedestrian underpasses under the tram bridge to allow safer passage - a move welcomed by cyclists. Secondly, improving safety and drainage through the pedestrian underpass under the platform. And thirdly, upgrading the Goodwood Station platform with CCTV, lighting, resurfacing and painting.”
“To reduce the impact on public transport users, the work will be done during the planned tram line shut down for the new $400 million Marion/Cross tram overpass,” Ms Stinson said.
Following concerns from the local community about the impact to trees and to the Forestville Reserve, improvements will be made to local access instead of constructing an overpass near the Goodwood railway station and tram bridge.
In May 2022, a community reference group (CRG) was established to hear the views of the local community and key user groups regarding building the Mike Turtur Bikeway overpass. This follows an election commitment by the South Australian government to put the project on hold and undertake engagement to better understand local concerns.
CRG members included local residents, reserve users, Unley Swimming Centre users, wheelchair users, tram and train users, pedestrians and cyclists. The City ofUnley and Unley Bicycle User Group were also represented.
One of the key themes to emerge from these meetings was the need to minimise impacts on Forestville Reserve and nearby trees, as well as on local roads and properties, both in the final design and during construction.
During the five CRG meetings and site walks held between May and August 2022, several alternative options for both an overpass and underpass were raised and considered by the group. There was not a clear standout preferred option amongst CRG members, with all options having considerable local impacts.
On review of the design alternatives, and in consideration of the feedback received, it was concluded that there was no feasible option that would not impact Forestville Reserve and result in tree removal.
Based on this, the decision has been made to not progress with the overpass structure.
Instead, the existing railway underpass and ramps will now be refreshed to improve safety and amenity, and the archways under the tramline on the eastern and western sides of the rail line will be considerably widened to improve the safety of the shared use paths.
The upgrades will also include new lighting, mirrors, CCTV installation, drainage improvements, new asphalt surface and re-painting.
These changes will improve safety and the user experience of the underpass and shared use paths, with minimal impacts on the Forestville Reserve and its trees.
More information about the planned local upgrades, including associated timelines and impacts from construction, will be advised as the project detail is finalised.
Engagement with key stakeholders and the community will continue to be important as these local upgrades are delivered.
The cycling infrastructure upgrade is part of the $421.4 million Goodwood and Torrens Junctions project, which is jointly funded by the Australian and South Australian governments, with each committing $210.7 million.
