Project in the Northern Territory will increase load limits on four bridges on the Buntine Highway.
Heavier trucks will have access to more sections of the Northern Territory’s Buntine Highway once upgrades to the route are completed this year.
Work has started on a $2.5 million project that will see the load limit increased on four bridges on the highway, which is a major transport route providing access to Indigenous communities.
The project is expected to be completed by the middle of the year.
“The four current bridges have a restrictive load limit which has implications for road trains and cattle movements,” federal Infrastructure Minister Warren Truss says.
“Upgrades to the load limit will increase traffic flow and improve safety, which will benefit all travellers on this busy highway.”
The Federal Government has set aside $2 million for the upgrades from the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, which is designed to fund trucking-specific projects on key freight routes.
The Territory is contributing the remaining $500,000.
“In a region as diverse and vast as the Northern Territory, we rely on quality roads and infrastructure and this upgrade forms part of that critical investment in regional Australia,” NT Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Peter Styles says.