Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study

The Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study, or "MATS Plan" as it became known, was a comprehensive transport plan released in 1968 proposing a number of road and rail transport projects for the city of Adelaide, South Australia.

It recommended the construction of 98 kilometres of freeways, 34 kilometres of expressway and the widening of 386 kilometres of existing arterial roads. It also featured new arterial roads and a new bridge over the Port River. For public transport, it proposed the closure of the Glenelg Tram, 20 rail grade separations and 14 kilometres of new train line, including a subway under King William Street.

The estimated cost of land acquisition and construction was $436.5 million in 1968, which equates to approximately $4,580 million in 2010 with inflation. Very few of the plan's recommendations were ultimately brought to fruition in their original form due to political and public opposition.

Like other states of Australia, there was a strong movement towards private car travel following the Second World War in South Australia. Fuel rationing was a thing of the past and private car ownership was increasing. The car was seen as a personal liberator following the constraints of the wartime periods, with many cities around the world building their urban forms around the needs of private cars.

Adelaide continued to expand rapidly due to people continuing to choose to live in suburbs as well as population growth and by 1966, Adelaide's population had increased by 90% on post war levels. Experts had been warning of the consequences of unplanned urban sprawl leading to a renewed interest in planning. In 1955 the Town Planning Act was amended to make a requirement for a coordinated plan to guide the future development of Adelaide.

...
Wikipedia