A huge bulldozer has been brought to Adelaide for some of the excavation work to duplicate the Southern Expressway.
The dozer is being used to rip rock from the Darlington escarpment.
"The D11 is a massive machine and is a great indication of the sheer scale of works that are underway to duplicate the Southern Expressway," said Infrastructure Minister Patrick Conlon.
"At almost five metres tall and weighing nearly 105 tonnes, the D11 generates 1,000 horsepower."
The South Australian Government denied work was continuing on the duplication of the 18-kilometre one-way road at the expense of rail projects because of the number of marginal Labor seats the road project affects.
The additional lanes are expected to open for traffic in the middle of 2014.
Southern Expressway Duplication
The $407.5 million duplication of the Southern Expressway will deliver an 18.5 kilometre multi-lane, two-way expressway between Bedford Park and Old Noarlunga. It is a key part of creating a free-flow north-south corridor and will provide people living in Adelaide’s south with improved access to employment, education, shopping and community facilities.The duplication will put Adelaide’s southern beaches and the McLaren Vale wine region within easier reach and make getting to and from the Fleurieu Peninsula easier, likewise Kangaroo Island.This project will also support economic activity in Adelaide’s southern commercial and industrial areas like Reynella, Lonsdale and Noarlunga Centre as well as help the state achieve identified targets in the South Australia Strategic Plan.