SA Freight Council urges priority for roads backlog

The South Australian Freight Council has urged the State Government to provide funding in the State Budget next month to &#8220kick start&#8221 an estimated $160m backlog in the state road maintenance program. The state’s peak freight transport advisory group called on the huge backlog in road maintenance work being addressed in its blueprint to improve SA’s transport network. The council’s report, South Australia’s Freight Transport Infrastructure &#8211 Principles and Project Priorities was issued this morning (Thursday, April 28). The report identifies the state’s present and future freight transport infrastructure needs. The &#8220high priority&#8221 initiatives needed across all modes include: &#8226 The deepening of channels and berths at Outer Harbour ($169m) &#8226 Construction of the Port River Expressway ($220m) &#8226 Addressing a &#8220desperate&#8221 backlog of infrastructure maintenance ($160m) &#8226 Extending the Sturt Highway to benefit the near north and beyond ($300m) &#8226 Development of a north-south corridor through Adelaide &#8226 Construction of passing lanes on the Riddoch Highway in the state’s southeast ($10m) and &#8226 Upgrading sections of the Eyre Peninsula Grain Transport System through rail and road improvements ($40m). The freight council’s general manager Neil Murphy said SA’s freight system is not just a matter of moving things from one point to another, it also impacts on everyone’s quality of life through issues like greenhouse gas emissions, road safety, and traffic noise. &#8220We know that Australia’s demand for freight is going to double by 2020, bringing with it a forecast 40% increase in congestion," he said. &#8220We can’t afford to wait until we’re boxed in by our own structural inefficiency before we realise that we need a better transport system if this state is going to prosper." Mr Murphy said the council will use the report to monitor infrastructure development, the progress of recently announced initiatives, as well as for assessing new proposals. "The state needs to have a longer planning horizon put in place to ensure our future transport infrastructure requirements are achieved,&#8221 he said.

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