Construction begins on new wetland and greenway at Tonsley

Construction has commenced on a new wetland and greenway on the south western portion of Tonsley. Once completed, the wetland and greenway, which neighbours the new Tonsley train station, will provide high quality walking and cycling connections for local community members and public transport commuters in and out of Tonsley Innovation District, as well as improving the quality of the stormwater leaving the site.

Renewal SA, who is redeveloping Tonsley Innovation District on behalf of the Government of South Australia, recently appointed Civil and Allied Technical Construction Pty Ltd (CATCON) to undertake the multi-million dollar works.

The Flinders Greenway is a shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists that is contained within a landscaped reserve and runs along the adjacent rail corridor. CATCON will deliver the portion of the Flinders Greenway from Alawoona Avenue south to the southern boundary of the Tonsley project. The City of Marion will continue the greenway to the Flinders Link project which will connect to the pathway to Flinders University across South Road. At a later date, PEET, who are the developers of Tonsley’s residential development, Tonsley Village, will build the greenway from the northern boundary of Tonsley to Alawoona Avenue.

The design of the open space and greenway will be in line with the vision for Tonsley as a high quality, open public realm district that is inviting and provides a sense of vibrancy. In response to community feedback from previous consultation, good quality path surfaces and lighting will feature throughout the greenway to improve access, safety and visibility.

The wetland forms part of the overall stormwater masterplan for Tonsley. It will improve the water quality of the stormwater runoff from the southern portion of Tonsley. After running through the wetland, the stormwater collected will leave Tonsley and flow through to the Oaklands Park Wetland for further processing. In turn, water delivered to Oakland’s Park is then supplied back to Tonsley through the local Council’s recycled water system for reuse.

The wetland will incorporate native plants and trees, as well as a range of public amenities, such as a viewing deck, pedestrian and cycling links and seating. It is intended that artist panels will also be commissioned for the wetland by a local Aboriginal artist.

As part of the contracted works, CATCON will also be delivering a new section of road, extending MAB Circuit between the Western Plant building and the wetland.

The works are due for completion by August 2021. During the construction period, access is restricted to the southern portion of MAB Circuit adjacent the Western Plant, however train station access will remain available to commuters.