THE FEDERAL and South Australian governments have announced plans to build 3.35km of double-lane divided road on the Sturt Highway to boost freight productivity.
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Anthony Albanese said the double-lane to the Greenock to Nuriootpa junction will deliver freight faster to and from Riverland.
The investment on the route was made possible by the $32.7 million saved on the rest of the Sturt Highway upgrade.
According to Albanese, the $159 million federally-funded project can now be extended beyond the Seppeltsfield Road junction, where it was originally intended to be finished.
South Australian Minister for Transport Patrick Conlon says the extension will strengthen the State’s freight network to ensure it meets demand.
The Sturt remains one of the nation’s major freight routes and its upgrade will be a significant investment, according to Conlon.
The project builds on the Federal Government’s commitment to the Northern and Port River expressways, which is part of a $1.1 billion investment in South Australian roads over the next five years.
He said the project was important in order to make the highway safer for local families and trucks carrying freight between the Riverland and Adelaide.
The new carriageway between Seppeltsfield Road and the Greenock to Nuriootpa junction will be to the south of the existing road.
It will include interchange and access improvements, duplication of the bridge over Seppeltsfield Road and construction of a culvert at Greenock Creek to replace the existing bridge.
Work on the extension is expected to start in early 2009 and finish in June 2010.
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