The Federal government has announced funding for an overpass at South Australia’s intersection of the Augusta Highway, the Copper Coast Highway and Port Wakefield Road to help ease traffic congestion and minimise accidents.
The $90 million project will also include the duplication of Port Wakefield Road through Port Wakefield.
The federal government has committed $72 million to the project, with the rest coming from the state government. The announcement from the state government is expected next week when it delivers its first budget.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack announced the funding alongside local Liberal MP Rowan Ramsey, who said the project would benefit both businesses and drivers in the region and had been a long time in the making.
“Traffic volumes both to Yorke Peninsula and on the National Highway will continue to increase and this project is long overdue,” Ramsey told ABC News.
“There are real benefits on offer for local businesses and freight operators with a significant increase to road network safety and freight efficiency.
“There will also be a collective sigh of relief from parents waving goodbye to their children en route back to Adelaide after home visits on holiday weekends.”
Under the plan, vehicles driving southeast on the Copper Coast Highway will travel on an overpass over the Augusta Highway before merging into Port Wakefield Road, which is also National Highway One. A new roundabout will also be built at the intersection of Port Wakefield Road and Balaklava Road.
“High traffic volumes and conflicting traffic flows are a big issue in the Port Wakefield area and for the broader Yorke Peninsula as well, so it is pleasing to have the Australian government on board to deliver a solution via this upgrade,” Stephan Knoll, SA transport minister, told ABC News.
“We expect this will, in turn, support the continued development of tourism by improving road access through to the beautiful Yorke Peninsula.”
The design phase would begin immediately, and the project was expected to be completed in 2022.