The Marshall Government has released the tender for the planning and design of road access upgrades for the new Thomas Foods International meat processing facility.
The Morrison-McCormack and Marshall Governments have committed $14 million to provide road access to the multi-million facility, to be built 6 kilometres north of Murray Bridge.
As part of this project, a Request for Tender has now been released for the planning and design works for a new link road, approximately 2 kilometres in length, and an associated junction on Mannum Road.
The new junction will connect to the existing north-south freight route between Murray Bridge and the Sturt Highway, which runs along Mannum Road, allowing both staff and higher-productivity vehicles to access the new facility.
The planning and design works are anticipated to be finished early in 2020.
Construction is expected to commence in the first half of 2020, following engagement with the local property owners.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the project forms part of the $330 million Rural Roads Package for South Australia, co-funded with the South Australian Government, which was first announced in the Federal Government Budget earlier this year.
“We want the facility to be world-class in adapting the latest advancements in technology, efficiency, environmental sustainability and workplace safety,” Mr McCormack said.
Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government Stephan Knoll said the Marshall Government was investing record levels of funding in regional road infrastructure.
“This project is a perfect example of the Marshall and Morrison Governments building productive regional road infrastructure that has helped unlocked hundreds of millions of dollars of private sector investment which will create thousands of jobs,” said Minister Knoll.
Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin said the project would construct the junction with Mannum Road and deliver a new road to facilitate staff and higher-productivity vehicle access to the Thomas Foods Facility at Murray Bridge.
“By working together we’ve been able to assist the company rebuild by funding the road infrastructure that will boost freight productivity. It’s an important piece of the puzzle that will ultimately lead to benefits across the supply chain,” Mr Pasin said.
Local Member for Hammond Adrian Pederick said Thomas Foods International’s new state-of-the-art meat processing plant is set to deliver up to 2000 new jobs, providing a major boon to the local economy.
“This project, which will create thousands of jobs, will provide a massive economic boost and underpin jobs and growth in the Murray Bridge and surrounding area for decades,” said Mr Pederick.
Media Contact:
Mr McCormack – Tess Salmon 0467 740 017 | Hannah Maguire 0429 920 254
Mr Pasin – Charlotte Edmunds 0402 243 753
Mr Knoll – David Franchitto 0466 496 963
Mr Pederick – 0429 692 921
