Two culverts will be replaced on the Princes Highway between Kingston and Millicent next year.
The culvert replacements will increase safety and accessibility for heavy freight vehicles and are located approximately 40km south-east of Kingston and 23km north-west of Millicent.
Regional Roads Minister Geoff Brock said the Princes Highway was a key transport link from the Victorian border east of Mount Gambier, all the way through to Port Augusta in the state’s north.
“Upgrading bridges and culverts along the Princes Highway will improve safety and accessibility for all road users and particularly for heavy vehicles, supporting increased road network reliability, travel times and regional development and growth,” Minister Brock said.
The replacements form part of the $190m Princes Highway Corridor upgrade project jointly funded by the Australian and South Australian governments.
The replacements will allow for wider lane widths and include new safety barriers to improve road safety, driving conditions and site reliability and the bridge barriers will also be extended along the approaches to the culverts.
The two culverts were identified as priorities for replacement after a review was conducted to identify bridges and culverts at their end-of-life or unable to accommodate Performance Based Standards (PBS) Level 3A vehicles (double road trains up to 36.5 metres long).
“These culverts on the highway between Kingston and Millicent have been identified as a priority for replacement due to their narrow lane width and current poor condition,” Minister Brock said.
“Replacing them will enable the section of the Princes Highway between Kingston and Millicent to meet the criteria for use by longer, heavier and higher-productivity vehicles, while improving safety for all vehicles at these locations.”
Approximately 600 vehicles travel along this section of the Princes Highway daily and around one-quarter of these are heavy vehicles.
This section is currently gazetted for PBS Level 2B vehicles (B-Doubles between 26 metres and 30 metres long).
Work is expected to start early 2023, subject to authorisations, and be completed later in the year.
Temporary diversion tracks will be established to allow traffic to bypass the project sites.
