The Government of South Australia has announced the ground-breaking of the A$354m ($242.1m) Regency Road to Pym Street (R2P) Project.

Delivered by the Australian and South Australian governments, the project will provide the next link in the 78km North-South Corridor.

The R2P Project will involve the construction of a 1.8km motorway with three lanes in each direction, an overpass over Regency Road with three lanes in each direction and two lanes in each direction on the South Road surface road.

It will link the South Road Superway and the Torrens Road to the River Torrens Project.

In addition, the project will deliver improved cycling and pedestrian facilities, including separated pedestrian and cycle overpasses over South Road, as well as landscaping and noise barriers.

The R2P Alliance consortium, comprising McConnel Dowell Constructors (Aust), Mott MacDonald Australia and Arup Group, will carry out the work. The project is expected to be completed by 2022.

The consortium will provide left-in and left-out-only access at Pym Street, full access to the motorway at Regency Road and upgrades to the Regency Road intersection.

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government Stephan Knoll stated that the project is expected to decrease travel times for the 53,000 average motorists who use the South Road section.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said: “This $354m project forms part of our massive $12.9bn pipeline of infrastructure works as we continue to build South Australia and create jobs.

“We are working constructively with the Morrison Coalition Government to build congestion-busting infrastructure that will reduce travel times and improve road safety.

“In our last state budget alone we announced seven intersection upgrades and two level crossing projects to bust congestion across metropolitan Adelaide.”