The state government's plan to improve traffic in the historic Adelaide Hills tourist town of Hahndorf is not the most "economically viable" solution, an independent report has found.
A new bypass and interchange onto the South Eastern Freeway had been planned by the former state government to reduce the number of large trucks travelling through the centre of the busy tourism town.
The then-state Liberal government announced the proposal in 2021 as part of a $250 million upgrade to improve access to the historic township and revitalise the main street, a project that was to be funded in bulk by the federal government.
Late last year, the Malinauskas state government decided to upgrade the interchanges at Verdun and Mount Barker and abandon the bypass or link road, which would have required the acquisition of hectares of land.
In 2020, a Hahndorf strategic traffic planning study report was prepared by consultancy company Jacobs to look at options for resolving existing and future traffic issues in and around Hahndorf.
The report, obtained by the Hahndorf Community Association under Freedom of Information laws, found that a bypass link road was "a critical piece of infrastructure" required to address traffic in the town.
It also identified that either a full or half interchange at River Road, combined with a "main street upgrade, a bypass link road of the township and a new walking and cycling path" was the preferred option.
"Overall, the cost to upgrade Verdun interchange compared to the traffic performance benefits means it is less economically viable solution compared to upgrading the River Road Interchange," the report concluded.
The report said the Verdun interchange upgrade was "worse performing from a traffic perspective compared to an interchange at River Road".
Traffic report provides answers to congestion, locals say
Chair of the Hahndorf Community Association, Greg Lomax, said the report confirmed what some residents had been saying for years.
"The main street is a designated heavy transport corridor, which makes no sense when we've also got the main street that has the most foot traffic in South Australia and is a tourist icon," Mr Lomax said.
He said the report provides answers to government about how to address the traffic problem in Hahndorf.
"But our concern is that it's not what's being addressed and the money that was put aside to address those problems is not being used for that purpose," he said.
The association has been running a petition, which has more than 2,500 signatures, calling for the completion of the new bypass project.
But the association does not have a position on which model should be advanced, saying it was up to the government and department to make those decisions based on technical expertise and consultant reports.
A spokesperson for Infrastructure Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the two full interchanges at Verdun and Mount Barker, and upgrades to the Pioneer Women's Trail and main street, would "significantly benefit" Hahndorf's locals and visitors.
The changes would remove almost 1,000 cars and trucks from the town's main street, the spokesperson told the ABC.
The spokesperson said all four bypass options proposed by the former Liberal government, inlcuding the River Road option, "would have entailed significant detrimental impacts".
"The Department of Infrastructure and Transport's detailed engagement showed strong community concern about ensuring we safeguard against property acquisition, while protecting Hahndorf's character, environment and amenity," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also said the report did not include consideration of the fourth bypass option later considered by the former government, which would have involved acquiring land from the Beerenberg Farm.
Bypass would destroy landscape, some residents say
While most agree that having large trucks travelling through the main street of Hahndorf is not ideal, not all residents want a large new interchange and bypass road.
Andrew Loose, who has lived in the area for over 30 years, told the ABC that all the proposed bypass link road options would "destroy beautiful landscape".
"Nobody wants heavy vehicles rumbling up the middle of the main street of Hahndorf when there's a lot of tourist vehicles around, but there are alternatives to ripping up the landscape," Mr Loose said.
He said the main street of Hahndorf would remain busy, regardless of a bypass, because most of the congestion was caused by vehicles visiting the township, rather than just passing through.
"The reality is most of the traffic in the logjams that occur is tourist traffic," he said.
Paechtown resident Kirsty Miller's property would have been in the path of one bypass option, something she said would have damaged the area's "unique heritage landscape".
"I just don't understand why they would want to carve up pristine countryside, businesses, and wildlife corridors, when there is other bypass options available using existing roadways," she said.
'It's a big problem'
Harold Gallasch has lived and worked on Hahndorf's main street for 45 years, and looks out onto the street every day when he serves customers.
"The trucks have got much bigger and much more numerous, but in addition to the trucks there are a lot of commuters now from the new developments," Mr Gallasch said.
"They come through Hahndorf to get to the freeway through to Adelaide, so certainly the traffic has increased very much."
Mr Gallasch said he had seen mirrors and doors knocked off cars and had also witnessed buses having to reverse to allow trucks to pass in the other direction.
"It is a dangerous main street in addition to being a busy main street … it's a big problem," he said.
"This problem can be solved by a bypass."
A 2020 RAA regional assessment of the Adelaide Hills and South Eastern Freeway found that Mount Barker Road through to Hahndorf was one of the most raised areas of concern for the Adelaide Hills community.
"[The] RAA recommended upgrades to the Verdun and Mount Barker interchanges to improve safety and accessibility around Hahndorf," RAA's senior manager of safety and infrastructure Charles Mountain said in a statement.
"[It] would reduce the volume of freight and commuter traffic required to pass through Hahndorf," he said.
Audit creates further uncertainty
When the project was first announced, $250 million was set aside for the upgrades, with the federal government to fund $200 million.
At the start of this month, the federal government announced a 90-day review of its infrastructure investment program, which will see a number of projects cancelled.
However, it will not confirm which projects are being targeted until the review is complete.
"[The Australian government is] committed to working co-operatively with the states and territories on shared infrastructure priorities," a spokesperson for the infrastructure department said.
