Within 100 days of the Malinauskas Government unveiling its Housing Roadmap, the first water pipes are already being installed to deliver critical housing supply in Adelaide’s north as part of an unprecedented $1.5 billion investment.

More than 3,000 metres of new trunk water main will be laid underneath Angle Vale Road and Supple Road in Virginia, which are needed to enable more homes to be built 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 18 metres of pipe every day.

The work kickstarts a record investment by the Malinauskas Labor 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 their construction partner, McConnell Dowell and Diona, SA Water will install the 750-millimetre-diameter trunk water mains which weigh three tonnes each.

The steel pipes are coated with specialised rubber to minimise the risk of corrosion, and will connect into SA Water’s existing network fed by a storage tank in Elizabeth East.

Crews have now 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 connect 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 also be installed to connect into SA Water’s network, while delivering infrastructure required to enable further capacity upgrades during subsequent stages of work.

A further 2,600 metres of 1200-millimetre-diameter trunk water main is earmarked for installation beneath Midway Road, which will travel west under Petherton Road, to duplicate existing water mains and maintain reliable water pressure throughout the northern suburbs.

This first stage of enabling work is expected to be completed 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, along with new water mains, sewer mains and pump stations to unlock future allotments in Roseworthy.

These projects will progressively commence from late 2024, with this first investment tranche comprising $419 million of the overall four-year program.

Quotes

Attributable to Clare O’Neil

Critical infrastructure like this is essential to unlocking the housing supply we need to make housing more affordable for everyone.

Both the Albanese and Malinauskas Labor Governments are laser focussed on delivering the homes we need right across South Australia to make housing more affordable for homebuyers and renters alike.

Attributable to Nick Champion

More water and sewer infrastructure leads to an increase in housing supply.

Within 100 days we have already started digging trenches and connecting pipes to ensure developers can start building.

Working with industry partners, we are delivering on our promise to increase the supply of housing.

We are doing everything we can to build more homes, faster to address the housing crisis and ensure future generations are not locked out of homeownership.

Attributable to Rebecca Pickering, CEO of Civil Contractors Federation SA 

The primary and urgent focus of specialist civil contractors has been clear: to get more pipes in the ground. Today marks a significant milestone with the commencement of this trunk infrastructure installation.

Civil contractors across the state are ready to install the water and sewer network that South Australia deserves, working alongside SA Water and the Government to expand this critical infrastructure in support of the Premier's Housing Roadmap.

Civil Pipelaying Apprentices, their employers, and the broader infrastructure industry will also benefit from this future planned works as pipelaying apprentices are engaged.