Both lanes of the Stuart Highway have been reopened, with speed restrictions in place, following a tragic accident over the weekend that claimed the lives of two people and caused part of the road to collapse.
On Saturday, March 6, just after midday, a B-double and ute collided on the Stuart Highway at Wirraminna, in SA’s far north.
Both vehicles caught fire on impact. Tragically, the 23-year-old driving the ute and the 57-year-old female passenger of the truck lost their lives. A 49-year-old male truck driver is in a critical condition.
The fiery crash caused part of the Stuart Highway to collapse. The Department of Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) has revealed that the Stuart Highway has now reopened to all traffic between Glendambo and Pimba, after temporary repair works were undertaken to the section of road that was damaged at Wirraminna.
The cause of the collapse has been put down to the plastic culverts that melted as a result of the fire. Plastic culverts had been used in place of concrete as they are seen as the best material for this particular location as the flood plain of the river is acidic and can destroy concrete culverts.
The road was closed while repair works took place. The asphalt also had to be given time to cure and the section of road underwent testing with a road train. With this now complete, both lanes are reopened with speed restrictions in place. Traffic signage is now in place and road users are asked to take extra care while travelling through this section of road.