Saleyard and port access improved for South Australian haulers under new changes
South Australian primary producers and livestock carters around the state’s mid-north will have an easier time getting into the Jamestown saleyards with the completion of a ‘last mile’ road upgrade.
Announced by the South Australian government today, the new road will allow B-double and 36.5m road train access in the region, saving time for haulers travelling east-west around the rural town and also enabling trucks to avoid being broken up before getting access.
Being the main saleyard in the state’s north, facilitating the sale of up to 160,000 sheep annually, SA transport and infrastructure minister Stephen Mullighan says the move will significantly benefit transporters, primary producers, and local businesses.
“These often small changes can have a big impact on productivity for primary producers and transport operators, which in turn benefits our regions and the economy more broadly,” he says.
“Thanks to the Jamestown upgrade, transport productivity in the region will improve by up to 100%, allowing producers to increase their vehicle size from a single semi to a road train combination.”
Completed by the Northern Areas Council with state funding support, the upgrade stems from recommendations from the 90 Day Project, which is a collaboration between Primary Industries and Regions SA, Primary Producers SA, and the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure.
While the upgrade will shorten the travel times for livestock transporters in the region, operators carting grain will also benefit from a second of the group’s initiatives.
Under the changes, road trains will have access to the Northern Expressway from Viterra’s bunker site at Roseworthy through to Port Wakefield Road, as will Performance Based Standards Level 3A vehicles and B-Triple vehicles.
Regional development minister Geoff Brock says the changes provide a clear path from Viterra – the state’s biggest grain handling and storage business – and global markets.
“The Roseworthy project provides higher capacity transport to Port Wakefield Road, through to Port Adelaide, for our grain producers,” he says.
“The improved road train and B-double access for both Jamestown and the Viterra site at Roseworthy clearly supports the State Government’s economic priority of Premium food and wine produced in our clean environment and exported to the world.”
The recent announcements follow a series of initiatives from the 90 Day project, such as approving the access of Higher Mass Load vehicles to access 18 Viterra sites across the state and the use of quad road train combinations between Port Augusta and the Northern Territory border.