Notice of Works - Bollen Road Upgrade and New Shared Use Trail
| What we're doing: | Bollen Road Upgrade and New Shared Use Path. View the detailed design here. |
|---|---|
| How much is it going to cost: | 2026/27 - $5,500,000 |
| Timeframe: | 2023/24 - 2027/28 |
| Background: | Bollen Road is a critical part of the Mount Barker District Council’s road network. With continued growth across the southern and western fringes of Mount Barker, Bollen Road has experienced significant increases in traffic volumes — a trend expected to more than double in the coming years. Upgrades are necessary to support network performance, safety, and capacity. |
Funding Approved
Funding for strategic and/or significant local road projects is available through the Special Local Roads Program (SLRP).
The program has been in place in South Australia since 1985 and provides funding to South Australian councils and other bodies, as specified in the South Australian Local Government Grants Commission Regulations 2019.
It aims to enhance the regional and metropolitan road network by strategically supporting projects that deliver positive economic, social, environmental and safety outcomes for councils and their communities, through an annual merit-based grant round.
Funding is allocated annually through a competitive grant round and empowers councils to foster safer, more efficient and economically beneficial infrastructure across the state.
Council applied for and has been successful in reciving $2,000,000 from the SLRP 2026/27 funding grant for Bollen Road Stage 2 and 3.
Updates October 2026
CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS
Now that we moved into the Spring season, construction works are ramping up and CAMCO continue to make good progress.
The Bollen Road Upgrade (Stage 1) between Memorial Drive and Springton Avenue is now complete and has been re-opened to two-way traffic.
However, a temporary speed limit will remain in-place until the new street lighting can be energised by SAPN.
Construction of the Bollen Road Upgrade (Stage 2) between Sandford Avenue and Fry Street has commenced with works currently including:
- Stormwater upgrade works including new road drainage
- New concrete kerbing
- A new concrete footpath on the western side of the road
- Continuation of the new shared use trail construction on the eastern side of the road
LOOKING AHEAD
Construction Activity
Construction works will continue on the Bollen Road Stage 2 Upgrade from now until mid-December 2026.
Intersection upgrades are planned at both Bollen Road / Sandford Avenue and Bollen Road / Fry Street.Intersection upgrades are planned at both Bollen Road / Sandford Avenue and Bollen Road / Fry Street.Intersection upgrades are planned at both Bollen Road / Sandford Avenue and Bollen Road / Fry Street.Intersection upgrades are planned at both Bollen Road / Sandford Avenue and Bollen Road / Fry Street.Intersection upgrades are planned at both Bollen Road / Sandford Avenue and Bollen Road / Fry Street.Intersection upgrades are planned at both Bollen Road / Sandford Avenue and Bollen Road / Fry Street.
The installation of new street lighting will continue.
Road renewal including deep lift asphalt is planned for early December 2026.
Construction of the new shared use concrete trail will continue from Sandford Avenue to Fry Street.
The typical hours of operation for construction, unless notified otherwise, remain between 7am and 5pm, Monday - Friday.
Traffic Restrictions
To safeguard workers, traffic management including some local road closures and signed detour routes will be necessary for the duration of the works.
There may also be restricted vehicle access to some properties at times, all affected residents will continue to be notified in advance.
From Monday 2 November 2026, and for the remainder of the Stage 2 works, Bollen Road will remain closed from Sandford Avenue to Robertson Parade whilst construction works continue.
Bollen Road will remain open to two-way traffic to the south of Sandford Avenue and north of Robertson Parade.
Signed detour routes will remain in-place to assist drivers navigate around the road closure.
See attached current Traffic Management Plan.
Tree Removals & Landscaping Plan
The route for the next stage of the shared use trail has been pegged out from Sandford Avenue to Fry Street and works are continuing.
Only 1 small existing street tree will need to be removed, with no significant, regulated, remnant trees impacted.
As with previous tree removals associated with this project, Council will be planting new trees under its replacement policy.
Council is currently scoping the extent of the tree replacement program and associated environmental rehabilitation project.
Following completion of the Stage 1 Road Upgrade, mulching of the central median and verges is scheduled to occur before the end of 2026.
Tree replacement and landscaping will form part of the next planting season from April 2027 onwards.
Further information will become available as the project scope is developed further.
Updates September 2026
24 September 2026
CAMCO is scheduled to complete the remaining construction works along the bottom section of Bollen Road by the end of Friday 25 September 2026.
Bollen Road will fully re-open to two-way traffic between Memorial Drive and Springton Avenue from Monday 28 September 2026.
Construction works will now concentrate on the next section of Bollen Road between Springton Avenue and Fry Street.
Due to the narrow road width, Bollen Road will be closed to traffic between Springton Avenue and Fry Street from Monday 28 September 2026 - Friday 11 December 2026 to safely facilitate concrete kerbing, stormwater, street lighting and pavement renewal works.
Local access will be maintained for residents living along this section of Bollen Road.
Construction of the new shared used trail will also continue in parallel with the road upgrade works.
Thank you for your ongoing patience whilst these upgrade works are being undertaken.
18 September 2026
Bollen Road is currently open to one-way northbound traffic between Memorial Drive and Springton Avenue before reverting to two-way flow up to the Hawthorn Road intersection.
Construction works including stamped asphalt at the Allen Avenue intersection, signage and street lighting have now been completed in the bottom section and the northbound lane will remain open up to Springton Avenue.
In addition, construction of the new shared used trail is continuing as well.
However, due to the narrow road width, Bollen Road will be temporarily closed to traffic (9:30am - 3:00pm only, buses excepted) between Springton Avenue and Fry Street from Monday 21 September 2026 - Friday 25 September 2026 to safely facilitate concrete kerbing works.
See attached Traffic Management Plan.
Thank you for your ongoing patience whilst these upgrade works are being undertaken.
3 September 2026
Due to the wet weather on 3 September, road marking has been postponed.
Subject to weather, these works have been re-scheduled for next Tuesday 8 September 2026 which will require a temporary full road closure (9:30am - 5:00pm) along Bollen Road between Flaxley Road and Springton Avenue.
Grant funding has now been confirmed for the next two stages of the Bollen Road Upgrade from Springton Avenue to Hawthorn Road.
As a result, Council’s main contractor (CAMCO) will progressively start to move further up Bollen Road from next week.
Please find attached an updated Traffic Management Plan for the Bollen Road Stage 2 Upgrade which will be in-force from Monday 7 September 2026 onwards.
Effectively, the current one-way northbound traffic flow along Bollen Road will be extended northwards to the intersection with Fry Street.
Once CAMCO has completed the remaining Stage 1 works, two-way flow will be restored along this lower section of Bollen Road.
Thank you for your patience whilst these upgrade works are being undertaken.
Updates August 2026
30 August 2026
Bollen Road is currently open to one-way northbound traffic between Memorial Drive and Springton Avenue before reverting to two-way flow up to the Hawthorn Road intersection.
Construction works are continuing including stamped asphalt at the Allen Avenue intersection, signage, street lighting and other finishing works over the next week or so.
In addition, construction of the new shared used trail is continuing as well.
New road markings are scheduled for this Thursday 3 September 2026 which will require a temporary full road closure (9:30am - 5:00pm) along Bollen Road between Flaxley Road and Springton Avenue.
However, these works are heavily weather dependent and with showers currently forecast, this could prevent these works from being undertaken as planned. Advise on another alternative road closure date will be provided should these works be deferred.
Thank you for your patience whilst these upgrade works are being undertaken.
19 August 2026
The weather has been kind enough to allow completion of the asphalt wearing course for the Bollen Road Stage 1 Upgrade from Memorial Drive to Springton Parade.
Whilst this marks a significant construction milestone, there are still some finishing works including road markings, signage, lighting and other ancillary works to complete in the coming weeks.
As a result, the full road closure has now been lifted and Bollen Road re-opened to northbound traffic only from Flaxley Road to Hawthorn Road.
There are also still intersection closures and restrictions at Memorial Drive and Allen Avenue.
Thank you for your patience whilst these upgrade works are being undertaken.
13 August 2026
The heavy rain last weekend and continued showers this week has caused some further delays to the completion of the asphalt works.
The asphalt basecourse layer will be completed today although the unpredictable weather has prevented the laying of the final wearing course layer.
Weather plays a critical role and there needs to be a dry, clear weather window to both dry out the basecourse layer and allow for the wearing course to be laid.
At this stage, the weather is forecast to be much better through the weekend with a warmer, dry day forecast for Monday 17/8/26 when the final wearing course is scheduled to be laid.
The current road closure will therefore remain in-place until Tuesday 18/8/26 to facilitate these final asphalt works.
Once again, Council apologises for the extended road closure and continues to ask motorists to follow the signed detour routes and drive safely.
6 August 2026
CAMCO (main contractor) and their asphalt sub-contractor (Active Asphalt) have been busy constructing the new deep lift asphalt road pavement along Bollen Road.
Despite some good progress, and due to unexpected poor ground conditions and occasional wet weather, the final wearing course will not be completed by the end of this week as originally scheduled.
As a result, the current road closure between Memorial Drive and Sandford Avenue will therefore need to be extended into next week to facilitate another 2 days of asphalt works to be undertaken.
The weather forecast is not looking favourable from the weekend onwards so we will need to wait for a dry window to complete these outstanding works next week.
In the interim, access to the school will be possible via Bollen Road from Monday 10 August 2026 onwards until the 2-day window can be confirmed.
Council apologises for the extended road closure and continues to ask motorists to follow the signed detour routes and drive safely.
28 July 2026
The temporary road closure which is currently in-place along Bollen Road between Memorial Drive and Allen Avenue will be extended to include the intersection with Springton Parade from Wednesday 29 July 2026 to Friday 7 August 2026 (inclusive).
The additional length of road closure is required to facilitate profiling of the existing road pavement this week and construction of the new deep lift asphalt road pavement next week.
Please continue to follow the signed detour routes.
Council apologises for any inconvenience whilst these essential road upgrade works continue.
20 July 2026
The Traffic Management Plan for Bollen Road has been amended to accommodate the tree removals mentioned in the update below, commencing from Monday 20 July 2026.
Update 13 July 2026
CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS
We have now moved into the winter season, and the inclement weather has caused some construction delays.
Nevertheless, CAMCO are still making reasonable progress despite some unworkable days.
The following critical construction activities continue as below:
- Major stormwater upgrade works completed including new road drainage
- Tree-sensitive concrete pavement construction complete
- Concrete road kerbing continuing
- Commencement of new shared use trail construction
Construction Activity
Construction works will be focussed on the ongoing road construction and concrete kerbing.
Continued intersection upgrades at both Bollen Road / Allen Avenue and Bollen Road / Memorial Drive.
Preparation for deep lift asphalt in early August 2026.
Construction of the shared use trail from Memorial Drive to Sandford Avenue.
The typical hours of operation for construction, unless notified otherwise, remain between 7am and 5pm, Monday - Friday.
Traffic Restrictions
To safeguard workers, traffic management including some local road closures and signed detour routes will be necessary for the duration of the works.
There may also be restricted vehicle access to some properties at times, all affected residents will continue to be notified in advance.
Bollen Road will remain closed from Memorial Drive to Allen Avenue whilst road construction works continue.
Towards the end of July, the road closure will be extended past the school to undertake road profiling and deep lift asphalt.
Signed detour routes will remain in-place to assist drivers navigate around the road closure.
Please note: the traffic control on the northern section of Bollen Road with Hawthorn Road is not part of this project but is associated with the adjacent development.
Tree Removals
The route for the new shared use trail has now been pegged out from Memorial Drive to Sandford Avenue.
Due to various constructability constraints including shallow tree roots, a further 8 street trees will need to be removed along the eastern verge opposite King Baptist Grammar School.
All trees identified for removal are either designated weed species or have a low amenity value.
No significant, regulated, remnant trees are being removed.
All trees will be removed during the week commencing Monday 20 July with additional stop/slow traffic management in-place outside the school.
As with previous tree removals associated with this project, Council will be planting new trees under its replacement policy and also undertaking environmental rehabilitation wherever possible.
Update 4 June 2026
Unfortunately, as a result of this week’s bad weather, completion of the new southbound vehicle lane between Allen Avenue and Memorial Drive has been delayed.
Being a concrete carriageway, the new lane cannot be trafficked for 21-28 days until such times as the concrete pavement has gained sufficient curing strength.
As a result, and to avoid a lengthy delay in the construction program, some critical path activities have been re-arranged.
CAMCO are now intending to undertake new concrete kerbing and completion of the new stormwater drainage along the existing bottom section of Bollen Road during the remainder of June 2026.
Bollen Road (between Memorial Drive and Allen Avenue) will therefore be closed to traffic in both directions as per the Traffic Management Plan from Tuesday 9 June 2026 for around 3-4 weeks.
See below for traffic management plan.
June Update
CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS
Following the previous April 2026 Newsletter, the weather continues to be favourable and construction works are progressing well.
The following critical construction activities have now been undertaken:
- Major new stormwater works completed from Western Flat Creek to Mansfield Drive
- Pavement boxout for new southbound vehicle lane between Allen Avenue and Memorial Drive also completed.
- New concrete kerbing
- New tree-sensitive concrete pavement construction
- New wombat crossing just south of the existing Bollen Road bridge
LOOKING AHEAD
Construction Activity
Construction works will be focussed on the construction of the new southbound vehicle lane between Memorial Drive and Allen Avenue.
Associated intersection upgrades at both Bollen Road / Allen Avenue and Bollen Road / Memorial Drive will also continue.
The installation of new concrete kerbing will continue in parallel with road construction.
The typical hours of operation for construction, unless notified otherwise, remain between 7am and 5pm, Monday - Friday.
Traffic Restrictions
To safeguard workers, traffic management including some local road closures and signed detour routes will be necessary for the duration of the works.
There may also be restricted vehicle access to some properties at times, all affected residents will continue to be notified in advance.
Bollen Road remains open to northbound traffic whilst construction of the new southbound lane continues.
Southbound vehicles will continue to be detoured as per the current Traffic Management Plan for the next few weeks.
Bollen Road will remain open to two-way traffic north of Sandford Avenue.
Additional Tree Removal Required
This design process included a number of site investigations including detailed engineering survey plus comprehensive surveys of all 77 trees within the road reserve and spatial mapping to assist with the design process and to retain as many existing trees as possible.
As a result, the detailed design stage concluded with the proposed retention of 75 trees with only two significant trees (Trees 46/47) identified for removal due to the Bollen Road / Memorial Drive intersection. Both trees were approved for removal by Native Vegetation Council and subsequently physically removed from site on 24 March 2026.
Every possible measure has been employed to retain as many trees as possible, however there have been some conflicts during the construction stage that have had to be managed, resulting in the loss of a further 3 trees. Further detail on these conflicts is provided below.
During the pavement boxout for the divided carriageway between Memorial Drive and Allen Avenue, a significant number of shallow roots were uncovered relating to two existing Chinese Elm trees (Trees 43/44) which were located immediately adjacent to the new road. Upon further examination, these two trees were also found to have exceptionally poor form having suffered from significant overhead power line management.
As a result of their poor form and the significant root impacts from construction, it was agreed that these two trees should also be removed, subject to additional project funding towards Council’s 6:1 tree replacement program. These two additional trees were subsequently physically removed from site on 2 April 2026.
More recently, a significant remnant River Red Gum was identified as having a severe impact on road function and safety at the start of the divided carriageway adjacent to Mansfield Road. Whilst the base of the tree was located outside of the proposed new kerb line, the tree leans significantly across the new lane which presents an unacceptable hazard within the 6m clearance envelope.
As a result of these impacts, Council looked at a number of options:
| Option | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
Option 1 - Tree Pruning Retain current road design and undertake tree pruning to achieve the required clearance envelope. | Retention of tree, community support. | This option is not feasible as the main trunk itself leans across the proposed southbound carriageway which would constitute a tree removal, not a prune. |
Option 2 - Road Re-design Relocate the new southbound lane and retain the tree. This option was set out on-site and requires a lateral lane shift of around 3m at the base of the tree to achieve the required clearance envelope below. From a design perspective, a lateral shift of this magnitude is not recommended as it introduces an unnecessary reverse curve into the new road alignment. A lateral lane shift would also introduce service conflicts with a number of existing services including the existing water main, stormwater and Telstra comms which all run along the eastern verge. Finally, road construction is well advanced along this section of new road with tree sensitive pavement and stormwater infrastructure already installed. As a result, significant delays to the construction program and associated cost impacts would be involved with this option. | Retention of tree, community support. | Design change not supported, significant additional cost and delay impacts. |
Option 3 - Tree Removal Retain current road design and remove the tree. This option would allow road construction to continue whilst the required NVC approval is achieved. Whilst a fairly large native tree which is in relatively good health, it does suffer from relatively poor form with a significant lean. Council is also committed to re-planting (6:1), re-homing fauna, creating increased biodiversity on-site and any other reasonable measures to rehabilitate the existing environment following removal of the tree. | No additional construction costs or other services impacts, construction largely unaffected. | Community perception. Tree removal delayed whilst NVC approval is granted. Additional offset payment of $6,019.50. |
Option 3 was recommended and approved by the Project Sponsor being GM Infrastructure and Environment.
A formal application to remove this tree has now been lodged with the Native Vegetation Council.
Whilst no further tree removals are envisaged at this stage, unplanned construction impacts are still possible as the road upgrade proceeds.
This tree removed is scheduled for the first week of June 2026.
April Update
CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS
Construction works are now underway and progressing well.
It has been necessary to keep the bottom section of the road closed between Memorial Drive and Allen Avenue to undertake the following critical construction activities over the past month including:
- Site clearance and demolition
- Removal of the two large gum trees at the Bollen Road/Memorial Drive intersection
- Removal of two additional Chinese Elm trees due to potential root impacts and also their poor form having been heavily pruned by SAPN due to the overhead power lines
- New underground stormwater system and creek headwall
- Pavement boxout for new southbound vehicle lane between Allen Avenue and Memorial Drive
- Preparation for new concrete kerbing
- Construction of new wombat crossing just south of the existing road bridge
LOOKING AHEAD
Traffic Restrictions
To safeguard workers, traffic management including some local road closures and signed detour routes will be necessary for the duration of the works.
There may also be restricted vehicle access to some properties at times, all affected residents will continue to be notified in advance.
Once the current full road closure is lifted on Friday 1st May 2026, Bollen Road will re-open to traffic allowing northbound vehicles to use the road between Flaxley Road and Hawthorn Road.
Southbound vehicles will be detoured as per the attached Traffic Management Plan along with some restrictions for vehicles turning out of affected side roads (see attached TMP)
Bollen Road will remain open to two-way traffic north of Sandford Avenue.
These restrictions are expected to stay in-place until the end of May 2026.
Construction Activity
Construction works will be focussed on continuing installation of the new underground stormwater system north of Allen Avenue.
In addition, pavement boxout will continue for the new southbound lane adjacent to Mansfield Road.
The installation of new concrete kerbing will continue in parallel with road construction.
The typical hours of operation for construction, unless notified otherwise, remain between 7am and 5pm, Monday - Friday.
21 April 2026
Bollen Road will remain closed up to (but not including Allen Avenue intersection) to Friday 24 April.
Bollen Road will be closed for one more week (including Allen Avenue intersection) from Monday 27 April to Friday 1 May.
17 April 2026
The Allen Avenue intersection will be closed next week to complete the stormwater crossings. The closure will be in effect from 7.00am Wednesday 22 April to 5.00pm Friday 24 April.
2 April 2026
The current 3-week road closure has been extended to 5 weeks (from Friday 10 April to Friday 24 April) due to supply chain/programming issues.
18 March 2026
Initial construction works will require a temporary road closure of Bollen Road (local access only) between Memorial Drive and Allen Avenue from Monday 23 March for approximately three weeks.
Please drive safely, follow the signage in place and be aware that there will be additional truck movements in the area.
13 March 2026
Bollen Road is a key collector road which now requires a major upgrade including road widening, pavement renewal, street lighting, stormwater drainage, kerbing, signage and other ancillary works. In addition, a new 2.5m wide shared use trail will be constructed on the northern side of the road between Silverwood Drive and Memorial Drive, then connecting to the existing trail network via a new footbridge over the creek. The intention is to construct the works in stages as shown on the Bollen Road Staging Plan:
Stage 1 – Shared Use Trail (Silverwood Drive – Memorial Drive)
Stage 2 – Road Upgrade (Memorial Drive – Springton Parade)
Stage 3 – Road Upgrade (Springton Parade – Robertson Parade)
Stage 4 – Road Upgrade (Robertson Parade – Hawthorn Road)
External funding has already been committed to construct Stages 1 and 2. Subject to a successful grant funding bid for the 2026/2027 financial year, construction of stages 3 and 4 will follow directly, achieving construction efficiencies while also minimising disruption to local road users.
Council has appointed CAMCO (SA) Pty Ltd as its main construction contractor who will be mobilising to site on Monday 23 March 2026 and expected to be on-site for up to 15 months dependent on whether stages 3 and 4 can be built concurrently. The typical hours of operation for construction, unless notified otherwise, are between 7am and 5pm, Monday – Friday. CAMCO will be undertaking their own project notifications once they set up their site compound next to the King Baptist Grammar School.
To safeguard workers, traffic management including some local road closures and signed detour routes will be necessary for the duration of the works. There may also be restricted vehicle access to some properties at times. CAMCO will be in contact with directly affected properties to notify exact timing of the works. All endeavours will be taken to keep the disruption to residents and properties to a minimum.
Council has also placed a high emphasis on retaining as many existing trees as possible through careful and innovative design. However, two large trees adjacent to the Bollen Road/Memorial Drive intersection will need to be removed on Tuesday 24 March 2026 as part of the intersection upgrade.
Should you require further information or have any special circumstances that Council should be aware of during this period, please contact Council’s Project Manager, John Calder, who can be contacted on 8393 6444 during normal working hours or via email council@mountbarker.sa.gov.au
Progress
Bollen Road Concept Design 21 February 2024
Bollen Road Detailed Design November 2025
JANUARY 2026
During the detail design process, GHD (Council's project design contractor) identified that when applying the design codes and standards to the detailed engineering survey which includes the shape and exact position of the butt of all trees that the proposed roundabout at Memorial Drive/Bollen Road presented significant challenges.
The detailed surveys revealed:
- The roundabout footprint encroached heavily into the structural root zones of several mature trees. These root zones contain the major roots essential for tree stability and health. Encroachment to the extent revealed by the detailed design work would almost certainly lead to tree decline or tree death over time.
- The proximity of the trees also to the intersection created conflicts with vehicle turning paths and overhang also, particularly for larger vehicles. This raised serious safety concerns, including the risk of vehicles striking some of the trees or mounting kerbs.
- The roundabout’s location was too close to adjacent trees on the south-western side of Bollen Road, compromising sightlines and intersection design standards that must be achieved when reconstructing and upgrading a road.
Further advice was sought from GHD to review and consider two alternative design options aimed at retaining the trees:
- Option 1 – Left-In/Left-Out Access at Memorial Drive Only: This option is not desirable in itself as it reduces the number of possible movements at the T intersection and further would require significant major creek culvert modifications and resulted in more than 30% encroachment into the structural root zone of the tree near the proposed wombat crossing on the south-eastern side of the creek. Such an impact is considered fatal to tree health, as the structural root zone contains the major roots essential for stability and nutrient uptake. Further this design results in road network impacts through the removal of right turns in and out of Memorial Drive.
- Option 2 – One-Way Access with Modified Turning Movements: This option likely avoided culvert modifications but shifted the alignment closer to tree trunks, again impacting structural root zones and creating long-term stability risks. This option also compromised intersection safety and overall road network performance through the removal of road connections from Memorial Drive onto Bollen Road.
Option 1 and 2 were not recommended to be progressed by the designers for the reasons described above.
In summary, the technical road design constraints driven by design standards and codes unfortunately necessitate the removal of the two closely spaced trees within the originally conceived roundabout at the intersection. In removing those two trees, the project can more confidently retain the more valuable specimens on the south-western side of the road without fear of structural root zone impacts.
A further meeting was held with the MBDRA on 16 January 2026 to discuss tree removals. After thorough assessment and consultation, the design team has determined that in lieu of the concept design roundabout option with the two trees in the middle, the design can better facilitate the retention of trees and support the original project objectives by constructing a standard T-intersection that still facilitates the required intersection sight lines, design vehicle turn paths and all traffic movements as shown below.
Of the 77 surveyed trees, 75 are being saved. The two tree removals have been independently assessed (JS Ayre and Associates, 28 May 2025) and removal approved by the Native Vegetation Council (NVC 2025_2017 Decision Notification 17 October 2025). The project will pay the calculated SEB offset payment of $19,628.06 to the NVC. Council’s Tree Policy also will be applied fully in relation to tree replacements which requires 6:1 replacement policy (12 trees to be planted) in the local area.
Council will also engage with local wildlife groups and relocate any wildlife plus undertake mitigation as necessary prior to tree removals.
The road upgrade will be delivered over a number of stages aligned with the release of Special Local Roads Program funding. The works have now been tendered and awarded to Camco. Construction works are being programmed from early March 2026 and likely to last for 12 months including both the road upgrade and new shared used trail as a continuous works program.
October 2025
Council has been successful in securing $1 million in grant funding from the Active Transport Fund for the construction of shared-use paths, footpaths, and lighting along the length of Bollen Road, as well as $1.5 million from the Safer Local Roads Program for the construction of Bollen Road Stage 1 between the Newenham/Linear Trail crossing and Springton Parade.
The detailed design for Bollen Road is now complete. The endorsed concept plan included a roundabout at the intersection of Bollen Road and Memorial Drive, featuring two trees within the roundabout annulus and one tree in the central median.
The roundabout was originally designed to retain the existing trees, improve sightlines at the Memorial Drive intersection, and enhance safety and accessibility for all turning movements.
As part of the detailed design phase, additional site and tree surveys were undertaken to refine the concept. These investigations revealed that the proposed roundabout conflicts with vehicle turning paths and is positioned too close to remnant vegetation on the southern side of Bollen Road near Memorial Drive. Further assessment determined that safely accommodating traffic movements while preserving the existing trees is not practically achievable. This was reported to Council at their February 2025 meeting.
After meeting with the Mt Barker & Districts Residents Association, we have engaged consultants for a design review and to explore alternative solutions that would have less impact on the trees. An update on the review outcome will be provided to the community in the coming months.
The concept plan also proposed a pedestrian refuge at the Newenham and Linear Trail crossing. During the detailed design, the pedestrian refuge at the Newenham and Linear Trail crossing has been upgraded to a wombat crossing.
Report from 3 February 2025 Council Meeting Agenda (from page 205)
August 2025
CHANGE OF SPEED LIMIT FOR BOLLEN ROAD
Bollen Road runs from Hawthorn Road at the northern end to Flaxley Road at the southern end. Over recent years, development has increased along Bollen Road with residential development, school facilities and community facilities.
We are currently planning the upgrade of Bollen Road to better suit the current uses and as part of this, the speed for the length of Bollen Road will be reduced to 50km/h commencing from Friday 8 August 2025.
Signs will be installed to indicate the changed speed limit, so please remember if you are on Bollen Road, the town speed limit of 50km/h now applies.
March 2024
Council Report March 2024 Bollen Road Final Concept Design
February 2024
Community engagement on the draft concept design for the upgrade of Bollen Road was held between October and November 2023 with feedback provided through the Your Say website, drop in sessions, and direct email.
Feedback themes included tree preservation, local area traffic management and speed control, road network connections (Flaxley and Hawthorn), pedestrian and cyclist access and property access.
As a result of the feedback received from the community, a number of changes will be made to the draft concept plan to ensure the final design is, where possible and practical, consistent with community expectations.
Some of the key changes being considered for the final concept plan are:
- Review of the divided and single carriageway proposals in relation to tree retention, cost and amenity.
- Greater tree retention.
- The pedestrian crossing on Memorial Drive moved further away from the intersection and at a better alignment to the proposed footbridge across Western Flat Creek
For full details see:
Council Report - 5 February 2024: Bollen Road upgrade - design and consultation summary
Bollen Road concept design - summary of consultation and proposed amendments
Council Member briefing - Bollen Road concept design and cost estimates
May 2023
Council has appointed WGA Consulting Engineers to undertake a detailed concept design for the upgrading of Bollen Road Mount Barker.
The concept design will consider road widths, kerbing in some sections, a footpath on one side and a shared path (pedestrians and cyclists) on the other side, storm water drainage, pedestrian (refuge) crossings, a reduced speed limit in the vicinity of the school and intersection improvements.
Preliminary investigation has already commenced including a detailed survey of all existing features, location of existing services (SA Water, Telstra, etc) and a geotechnical investigation to determine the underlying pavement requirements.
Council will consult with the community at the 50% concept design stage (when a basic layout will be available) seeking comments before proceeding to the final concept design. It is expected that this will occur during August/September 2023.
Background
The new Bollen Road school opened in the 2023 school year with 3 classes only starting from early learning grade levels. These are very small numbers and for that reason the development assessment process did not require the developer to implement interventions for footpaths and trails as the students attending are to be accommodated by internal kiss and drop facilities.
Considered in the planning assessment of the school's Development Application was the guiding document for speed limits from the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) (inclusive of the usage of School Zones). The DIT guiding document indicates school zones may be used on streets fronting a school where there is expected to be children walking and accessing the school in conflict with traffic. It indicates the appropriateness of a school zone will be informed by wider considerations such as the provisioning of onsite set-down and pickup within the school grounds.
Future Works
Later stages of growth and development at the school may trigger a contribution from the school towards works external to the site such as paths and crossings. In the interim, a school zone has not been considered appropriate given that first few classes of student are early learning and the school development has accommodated internal kiss and drop facilities. Further growth in classes and student ages in later years will trigger review of the school zone needs and implementation to accommodate older students who will walk and cycle to school.
Bollen Road Upgrades
In parallel with the private development of the school, Council has issued a tender call to the consulting sector seeking submissions for the design of upgrades to Bollen Road. That tender call closes in February 2023 and a consultant will be selected thereafter.
An internal draft concept to inform the consultant design can be accessed below. There will be wide community consultation on the consultant designs before advancing to detailed design and implementation, noting that targeted engagement has already commenced with the school, church and developer.
The internal concept drawing shows that it is Council’s intention to facilitate improved paths and trails along Bollen Road together with road and carparking improvements amongst other road safety improvements.
These designs and works are not funded by any of the MDPA Transport Separate rate contributions or DIT Transport Deed transport interventions, hence the funding of the upgrades will be subject to Council budget provisioning and/or gaining of grants for these works into the future.
Lower Speed Limit Proposed
Hand in hand with the Bollen Road upgrade designs, Council will be working with DIT to seek a lowering of the speed limit to 50kph together with the potential further lowering to 40kph where greater activity and interface between cars and pedestrians/cyclists is anticipated such as near the future playing fields and school (subject to meeting the requirements of the Departments speed limit guidelines).
Timing of Improvements
The timeframes are broadly to commence concept design work this financial year following appointment of the consult designer. These designs and consultation processes will continue with detail design to follow ideally in 2023/24 also and commencement of construction in the year after that. Some early road safety works are to run in parallel with the overall design upgrades at the intersection of Bollen and Hawthorn subject to funding.
Council will continue to work with the school to monitor and program these additional infrastructure requirements as they become warranted.