LETTER TO THE EDITOR – HOLDER TOP ROAD

Dear Editor,

Completion of the Sturt Highway/Holder Top Road intersection to include a left-hand slip lane is a fantastic outcome.

The intersection at Waikerie was granted $1.52 million in 2017 to improve safety thanks to the Federal Government’s Black Spot Program.

I was proud to advocate and deliver this funding to the State Government who were tasked with the design and construction of road works. To my disappointment many in the community, including myself, were left unimpressed by the fact the design did not include a slip lane into Holder Top Road.

The intention of the $1.52 million was to improve safety at the intersection. However, the absence of the slip lane meant that DPTI simply substituted one danger for another and as a result had to lower the speed limit.

As chairman of the South Australian Black Spot Committee at the time, I was in regular contact with the State Government Department as well as the Minister, advocating for them to fix their mistake.

I’m pleased that the State Government has now addressed this issue, five years after the initial Federal Government funding was allocated, noting that they have used additional Federal Government funding through the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative to do so.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Pasin MP

Federal Member for Barker

Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport