Dual lanes in both directions on the Augusta Highway are officially in action for 29 kilometres between Port Wakefield and Lochiel, which has marked the completion of major works on the Augusta Highway duplication project.
The road is a key heavy vehicle corridor in outer-northern Adelaide, and almost one third of the total 3600 vehicles that use the road every day are trucks.
Aside from improving safety outcomes for the 1100 heavy vehicles that travel the route each day, a key aspect of the works was improving road safety during busy holiday periods, where use of the road almost doubles.
The new lanes are open but final works will require temporary speed limits between 60km/h and 80 km/h to be in place, with the speed limit set to return to 110km/h by the end of the month.
South Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Tom Koutsantonis has urged all road users to obey the temporary limits as finished works continue.
“Whether you’re driving up north to Port Augusta or heading south towards Adelaide, this duplicated highway will make the journeys faster, safer and less stressful,” Koutsantonis says.
“For an extra 29 kilometres motorists now won’t have to worry about being stuck behind a slower moving vehicle, removing the risk of a driver trying to overtake in a dangerous manner.
“As finishing works get underway, I urge all drivers to adhere to speed limits to keep themselves and others safe.
“We know continued road works can be frustrating, but I thank all drivers for their continued patience during this period.”
The Augusta Highway Duplication has supported over 300 jobs in the region and moved over 1 million tonnes of pavement material during works.
Almost 40,000 tonnes of asphalt were laid, while more than 80 stormwater crossings, 13 culverts, 12 new streetlights and nine kilometres of safety barriers were also installed.
Senator for South Australia Karen Grogan expects the completed project to drastically reduce collisions on the stretch of road.
“High-speed, single-lane highways such as the old Augusta Highway stretch are responsible for far too many accidents in South Australian,” Grogan says.
“These upgrades will make a fundamental difference to the safety of drivers on this important route.”
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