The first water pipes and pump stations are being installed to deliver critical housing supply in Adelaide’s north as part of an unprecedented $1.5 billion investment.
More than 3,000m of new trunk water main will be laid underneath Angle Vale Road and Supple Road in Virginia, which is needed to build more homes across Adelaide’s northern growth front.
Work to deliver the new infrastructure is well underway, with SA Water and its major construction partner installing approximately 18m of pipe every day.
The work kickstarts a record investment by the South Australian Government to grow the water and sewer network, announced as a key initiative of the Housing Roadmap, to unlock a potential 40,000 new allotments across South Australia.
In addition, South Australia will receive $67.4 million from the Federal Government’s Housing Support Program to fund critical infrastructure projects such as water and sewer upgrades to unlock new housing opportunities.
Together with its construction partner, McConnell Dowell and Diona, SA Water will install the 750mm-diameter trunk water mains, which weigh three tonnes each.
The steel pipes are coated with specialised rubber to minimise the risk of corrosion. They will connect to SA Water’s existing network, which is fed by a storage tank in Elizabeth East.
Crews have started laying the new pipes from the southern end of Supple Road towards Angle Vale Road, where they’ll head east towards Old Port Wakefield Road.
A new pressure-reducing valve will also be constructed on Supple Road and connected to the pipes to regulate the incoming water pressure from SA Water’s network.
Once this first section is completed, additional sections of new trunk water main will be installed to connect into SA Water’s network. This will deliver the infrastructure required to enable further capacity upgrades during subsequent stages of work.
A further 2,600m metres of 1200mm-diameter trunk water main is earmarked for installation beneath Midway Road, which will travel west under Petherton Road. This will duplicate existing water mains and maintain reliable water pressure throughout the northern suburbs.
This first enabling stage is expected to be completed in early 2026.
Other upcoming projects as part of the initial investment tranche include upgrades to a sewer pump station and new water mains servicing Angle Vale, as well as new water mains, sewer mains, and pump stations to unlock future allotments in Roseworthy.
These projects will progressively commence in late 2024, with this first investment tranche comprising $419 million of the overall four-year program.
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