Alocal road notorious for its poor road shoulder conditions is expected to be repaired by end of October.

Work on Kangaroo Flat Road was expected to be completed by the end of July, however delays have pushed out the completion date by three months.

Grant District Council has been advocating for urgent improvements to the road and sought a response from the Department for Infrastructure and Transport on the issue.

On behalf of Minister Geoff Brock, Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) Planning and Technical Services director Ana Glavinic responded to council.

Correspondence from the DIT was tabled at council’s September monthly meeting last week.

“The department is aware of the condition of Kangaroo Flat Road and has been working with its road maintenance contractor in the Limestone Coast to schedule repairs to address the shoulder condition,” she said.

“Targeted repairs to re-sheet the road shoulder was expected to be completed by the end of July 2023.

“However, due to procurement delays the works have needed to be rescheduled.”

In the meantime, Ms Glavinic said the road would continue to be regularly inspected.

“Please be assured that Kangaroo Flat Road will continue to be regularly inspected with appropriate action taken to ensure the road is maintained in a safe condition for all road users,” she said.

A report by the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia (RAA) in 2019 urged the government to prioritise roadworks on the southern section of Kangaroo Flat Road, spanning from Princes Highway to Wandilo Forest Road.

The road is a key freight route, with B-doubles using the road to access a timber processing plant, nearly 2km from the Princes Highway intersection.

Though the RAA assessment revealed road and gravel shoulder erosion has at some points resulted in 10cm drop off, the road has been identified as not wide enough for two trucks to safely pass each other, with a total seal width of five metres at its narrowest points.

Traffic is also permitted to travel up to 100kph, adding to the hazardous road conditions.

Council has been working collaboratively with Wattle Range Council to seek shared advocacy to the State Government on the matter.

A section of the road is within the Grant council area, with the remaining in the Wattle Range Council area.