A busy section of road that sees around 4900 vehicles a day will receive $80 million in safety upgrades, with new funding committed in the South Australian 2025-26 state budget, being handed down on June 5.
The upgrades will be delivered on Main South Road between Myponga and Yankalilla, with funding being provided on a 50:50 split between the state and federal governments.
Main South Road is a key route connecting heavy vehicles, commuters and tourists from Adelaide to destinations along the Fleurieu Peninsula.
The SA government says this notorious road includes many curves and has an undulating environment, which makes overtaking difficult, resulting in delays and driver frustrations.
Between 2019 and 2023, there were 16 crashes, resulting in one fatality and five people seriously injured. In 2024, five crashes resulted in four lives lost and two serious injuries.
SA Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Tom Koutsantonis said locals have long called for safety improvements along Main South Road between Myponga and Yankalilla.
“Last year alone we saw five serious crashes, tragically resulting in four lives lost and several people seriously injured, as well as a horrifying near miss when a truck drove into oncoming traffic by attempting to overtake on a narrow bridge.
“One life lost on our roads is one too many. Improving the driving conditions and adding overtaking lanes on this key route to and from the Fleurieu Peninsula will reduce driver frustration and help prevent risky behaviour that can lead to tragedy.”
Upgrades will include the construction of two new overtaking lanes, targeted curve easing and road widening, as well as widening narrow bridges and culverts.
These improvements will increase overtaking opportunities to create a safer environment for road users travelling to and from the Fleurieu Peninsula.
This project follows the SA government’s election commitment to deliver three overtaking lanes on Main South Road between Normanville and Cape Jervis. This part of Main South Road sees between 1200 to 2200 vehicles a day.
With this new funding, it brings the total investment to $111.8 million to deliver five overtaking lanes and other safety upgrades on Main South Road between Myponga and Cape Jervis.
Between 2019 and 2023 there were 17 crashes between Normanville and Cape Jervis, including two fatal crashes and eight crashes resulting in 12 serious injuries. In 2024 there were four crashes which left ten people with serious injuries.
Leon Bignell, MP for Mawson, commented, “Along with other locals in our area who drive that stretch of road on a regular basis, I’m delighted this funding has been made available to make our roads safer.
“For almost a decade now I’ve been working on getting extra funding for Main South Road and we have seen the duplication from Seaford to Sellicks, the go-ahead for the three overtaking lanes between Normanville and Cape Jervis and now the huge upgrade of the stretch between Myponga and Yankalilla.
Bignell continued, “In any budget there are always competing interests from different parts of the state. I’m delighted the federal and state Labor governments continue to listen to the people of Mawson and provide the very best infrastructure to keep us safe and to improve productivity.”