Funding agreement secured for bikeway
Stage Four of the Amy Gillett Bikeway, which will extend the trail from Mount Torrens to Birdwood, is set to proceed after a funding agreement was reached with the Adelaide Hills Council.
The Council has committed to build stage four of the Amy Gillett Bikeway with Federal and State Government funding of $2.6 million each and a Council contribution of $500,000. The total funding for the project is $5.7 Million.
The project will extend the Amy Gillett Bikeway from its current end point in Mount Torrens at Oval Road, taking it through to the intersection with Onkaparinga Valley Road in Birdwood, adding around 6 kilometres to the overall length of the bikeway.
While federal funding of $2.6 million has remained on the table since October 2020, the former Marshall Liberal state government failed to progress the project in office despite committing to oversee its delivery.
The Malinauskas Labor Government last year offered to match the Commonwealth funding, with the Council voting to fund the remainder.
The Department for Infrastructure and Transport has worked closely with the Council on a design solution that can be delivered within the agreed funding package to ensure work on this iconic bikeway can finally continue.
Quotes
Attributable to Tom Koutsantonis
I am pleased to see the state and federal governments’ funding offers taken up with the Adelaide Hills Council putting in the remainder of the funds required to see this important and long-awaited stage of the Amy Gillett Bikeway finally realised.
It was the former Labor Government that began the Amy Gillett Bikeway to honour the legacy of a great young South Australian.
While I note historical comments by the federal MP For Mayo, Rebekha Sharkie, that ‘the State Government has contributed its fair share’ to this important project and that ‘other tiers of government now need to step in’, this project needed a circuit breaker, and we are pleased to have helped facilitate a multi-tiered solution for this genuine three-way funding partnership.
Attributable to Adelaide Hills Council Acting Mayor Nathan Daniell
This is an incredibly important and much-loved asset for our community with the added strategic outcome of attracting tourism and providing economic benefit to townships along the way.
Council have committed additional funds to cover the shortfall in government funding and will also undertake ongoing maintenance of the new stage so everyone, especially Birdwood residents, can enjoy the benefits.