Ovingham Level Crossing Removal
This project marries a major project with a generous act of public design. Elevating a road over a rail line, the $196 million Ovingham Level Crossing Removal Project jointly funded (50:50) by the Australian and South Australian governments, has improved connectivity on Adelaide’s inner northern streets and public transport network. The accompanying ASPECT Studios-designed public realm, designed on behalf of the South Australian Government’s Public Transport Projects Alliance, supports the local community and improves urban amenity and regeneration.
- TRADITIONAL OWNERS & ONGOING CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND Kaurna
- CLIENT Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT)
- LOCATION Ovingham, South Australia, Australia
- YEAR 2022-2023
The design adopts Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles, with ensuring clear lines of sight across and into the spaces under the road bridge. New activated public spaces, such as a futsal court, multi-sport facilities, and nature-play areas. It was important to bring the space to life and ensure that it is populated and bustling throughout the day and provide a place of social connection for the local community.
Streetscapes have been improved by providing wider shared spaces that benefit both pedestrians and cyclists, as well as local businesses, which are better served by the more engaging environment. The public art commissioned for the project was developed through intensive engagement with Kaurna representatives, revealing Indigenous narratives and embedding them in an important civic space.
The project also constitutes a major work of ecological repair. The land surrounding the public spaces has been revegetated using pre-colonial species, while water-sensitive urban design mitigates flood risk and reduces water consumption.
The project also constitutes a major work of ecological repair. The land surrounding the public spaces has been revegetated using pre-colonial species, while water-sensitive urban design mitigates flood risk and reduces water consumption.
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TEAM
TPA Ovingham Alliance Partners – McConnell Dowell, Arup and Mott MacDonald, as well as Cox Architecture and Gould Thorpe Planning
Cultural Collaborators - Aboriginal Urban Design -
AWARDS
Civil Contractors Federation, South Australia
IEA SA/NT 2023 Lighting Award
Shortlisted for the national Banksia Sustainability Award -
PHOTOGRAPHY
Sweetlime (daytime shots)
Douglas Maeda (night-time shots)
