A family-run Murraylands manufacturer has secured a major contract on South Australia’s largest and most complex infrastructure project, delivering a significant boost to regional manufacturing and employment.
Bowhill Engineering, located on the River Murray about 130 kilometres from Adelaide, has been awarded a $32 million contract to fabricate steel tunnel segments for the River Torrens to Darlington Project, being delivered by the Albanese and Malinauskas Labor Governments.
The company will produce more than 660 steel segments used to construct cross passages linking the project’s main tunnels. Around 40 segments, each weighing about 10 tonnes, will be manufactured every month, with deliveries scheduled to begin from March this year.
To support production, Bowhill Engineering has invested in new manufacturing capability, including three robotic welding systems housed in its new B5 Fabrication Hall and a Computer Numerical Control machine for precision cutting to meet exact specifications.
The contract is expected to create more than a dozen jobs, with workers living locally in the Murraylands.
The cross passages will be constructed approximately every 120 metres between the main tunnels and will house operational equipment. They will also form a critical component of the tunnel safety system, allowing emergency service access and providing egress for vehicle occupants in the event of an incident.
Bowhill Engineering has previously contributed to several major South Australian infrastructure projects, including fabricating 15 bridges for the North–South Expressway and working on the $120 million Majors Road Interchange Project, which opened to traffic in October last year.
The River Torrens to Darlington Project represents the final 10.5-kilometre section of the North–South Corridor and will complete 78 kilometres of non-stop, traffic light-free motorway between Gawler and Old Noarlunga. Once finished, motorists will bypass 21 sets of traffic lights by travelling through two separate tunnels connected by an open motorway.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said the project’s benefits extended well beyond metropolitan Adelaide.
“The benefits of delivering a non-stop South Road extend far beyond the city to communities across the state,” he said.
“Bowhill Engineering is a major employer in the region, and this is the biggest contract they’ve ever been awarded, helping create more job opportunities and skills in the Murraylands.
“After years of talk and debate, the Albanese and Malinauskas Labor Governments are getting on with the job of delivering a generational project for our state.”
Upper House member Emily Bourke said the project was helping build long-term skills and careers.
“This is an important milestone for the non-stop South Road project and it’s exciting to see the first of the steel segments being fabricated at the Bowhill Engineering workshop,” she said.
Bowhill Engineering chief executive officer Jodie Hawkes said the contract demonstrated confidence in regional industry.
“Investment like this is about more than the T2D project — it backs regional people, strengthens sovereign capability and delivers lasting economic benefit to the communities where Australians live, work and raise families. We’re proud to play our part,” Ms Hawkes said.
