Concerns raised this week that there would be delays in the rolling out of new rest areas for truckies in South Australia are unfounded, says the state’s transport minister.
Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Tony Pasin, claimed the proposed new SA sites under the $140m Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Initiative were either not mentioned at all in the lastest state budget, or had only received partial funding, and would be behind schedule.
But Transport and Infrastructure Minister Tom Koutsantonis said he appreciated Pasin’s interest in heavy vehicle rest areas, but on this occasion, his “amateur sleuthing” was misguided.
“Work on the Salt Creek Rest Area upgrade is indeed currently scheduled to begin later this year with completion expected in the first half of 2025,” Koutsantonis confirmed.
“Further funds under this initiative will be allocated over the following two years to improve a range of other rest area facilities – even including some outside his electorate.
“Mr Pasin is always welcome to fact-check his wild theories with my office before he airs them in the media and embarrasses himself in future.”
The Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Initiative is a $140m federal government road safety initiative intended to provide safe rest areas for heavy vehicle operators.
Tranche 1 of the program announced on April 15 included $3.8 million for upgrading the Salt Creek Rest Area on the Princes Highway in South Australia. The project is expected to deliver five parking bays, a unisex toilet block, installation of metal shade structure and picnic tables.
Two parking bays are also planned for the Barrier Highway at Winnininnie and Bindarrah totalling $2.121m are due to be completed in January 2026.
To date, nine projects have been approved nationwide under the rest area program, totalling $21m. Some of these projects are for upgrading and building new rest areas at multiple sites.
The sites are funded on an 80:20 basis.
“Our Heavy Vehicle Rest Area initiative funding commitment is budgeted and ready to flow,” said a spokesperson for the federal infrastructure department.
“Funding can also be brought forward where agreed project milestones are achieved earlier than expected.
“We are working closely will all funding partners, including the South Australian Government, to ensure these important projects are delivered on time.”
All this talk about new parking bays. In the 90s I was a regular Adelaide Darwin runner with plenty of parking bays in South Australia, a few years ago I did a few trips ùp to the SA border and found most of the parking bays I used closed of for trucks and reserved for tourists. How can the government’s be serious about fatigue and safety for truck drivers.???