Virginia Main Street Upgrade
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The City of Playford is upgrading the main street of Virginia, creating a welcoming focal point for locals and visitors to the growing Virginia township.
A 500m portion of Old Port Wakefield Road is being transformed and will feature wider paths for pedestrians and cyclists, new gardens and tree planting, on-street parking and a new playground at the Virginia Institute Park.
Importantly, the design will improve stormwater management in the area, which was a key element highlighted by our community through the consultation process.
The main street upgrade features:
- Wide shared pedestrian and cycle paths
- A priority pedestrian crossing
- Improvement to stormwater infrastructure
- Replacement of existing street trees with a suitable species
- On-street parking and provision for disability and long vehicle parking
- Development of the Virginia Institute Park into a community destination
The Virginia Main Street upgrade continues to make solid progress and is in its final stages of construction.
Work currently being undertaken by contractors to complete the project includes some minor footpath paving, landscaping such as irrigation installation, tree planting, laying of turf and garden mulching and the installation of new street furniture including bins, shelters and seating.
Frequently asked questions
More than 460 people participated in community engagement through pop-up discussions, community workshops and surveys.
Key priorities for our community were:
- the quality of footpaths
- safety
- drainage
- street presentation
More information on the engagement process for this project can be found on Playford Engagement Hub.
The redevelopment of the Virginia Main Street is funded by the City of Playford, a Government of South Australia Places for People grant, an Australian Government Roads to Recovery grant and SA Power Networks.
Projects inevitably result in traffic delays so that work can be carried out safely. The contractor will work to keep delays to a minimum, and all traffic changes will be communicated.
The project will progress from north to south, and, where possible, footpaths and garden beds will be constructed on one side of the street at a time to ensure that as much of the street is under normal traffic conditions as possible.
Work will be undertaken between 7am to 5pm Monday to Friday to reduce the impact of noise. Out of hours work will likely be required at times in order to reduce disruption. Advance notice of this will be provided where possible.
Axiom Projects SA staff and contractors will be on site each day liaising with local businesses as required, to ensure as little interruption to the business community as possible.
We’re purchasing materials in advance to ensure that we can lower the risk of delays. The COVID-19 pandemic also brings the risk of labour shortages as case numbers rise.
Regular updates will be provided on the Council website, via City of Playford social media channels and Playford News magazine, as well as in local media.
The Main Street Upgrade was originally planned for 2021, however the commencement was rescheduled to allow time for Council and SA Water to discuss the installation of sewer infrastructure within Old Port Wakefield Road while still meeting Council’s grant funding deadline obligations.
These discussions have resulted in SA Water bringing forward their design works and providing sufficient detail to the project team prior to construction starting. This will help to ensure pre-work supporting the future sewer installation can be included in the upgrade to minimise future rework.
Council has also agreed to provide a land easement to SA Water for the construction of the pumping station infrastructure. SA Water will progress with the detailed design and secure funding for the installation of sewerage within the Virginia Main Street. This design will be proposed to the industry regulator, ESCOSA, for approval and delivery in the next regulatory determination period, 2024-28, unless funding can be secured earlier.
Council and SA Water will continue to work closely together throughout the project to ensure the best possible outcome is achieved for the community.