MP keeps fighting for upgrades to Victor Harbor Road
Posted April 18, 2019
Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie has renewed her call for the State Government to upgrade the Victor Harbor Road between Mount Compass and the popular seaside destination.
Standing today at Mount Compass where Easter long weekend commuter traffic was starting to bank up, the local MP said the State Government needed to at least investigate the building of more passing lanes until a full duplication could be costed and planned.
“You only have to look at this section of this high-traffic road to see how easily a bottleneck develops at peak times,” Rebekha said.
“The Federal Government’s budget announcement of $73.6 million to complete the duplication of South Road to McLaren Vale is welcome but it doesn’t address the real problem we have in this section of the Victor Harbor Road.
“Further, we’ve since learned that the South Road to McLaren Vale project won’t start until late 2022 and isn’t expected to be completed until 2026/27.
“Senate Estimates revealed that the Federal Government’s first contribution of $13.6 million is not scheduled until the 2022/23 financial year.
“I am always wary of promises made years down the track, and I am mindful that something needs to happen sooner rather than later in the Mount Compass to Victor Harbor section.”
Rebekha first began advocating for the duplication of the Victor Harbor Road after winning office in 2016.
The local MP wrote to and met with Federal and State Transport Ministers but the message from the Commonwealth was that the State Government needed to do a scoping study and make the road an infrastructure priority.
“At this stage, we don’t even have commitments to do minor upgrades along this section between Mount Compass and Victor Harbor, including passing lanes, which is disappointing – particularly when the State Liberals ran a ‘regions matter’ campaign,” Rebekha said.
“But I won’t give up. This road is just getting busier. I will continue to advocate with all levels of Government to make the Mount Compass to Victor Harbor Road safer.
“The upgrading of Victor Harbor Road has been a long-term priority for the RAA who consider this stretch of highway to be one of the most dangerous in South Australia.”
During last year’s Mayo by-election, Rebekha was joined in her campaign to upgrade the Victor Harbor Road by her SA-BEST colleague Frank Pangallo MLC.
Frank said the duplication was a key election commitment for SA-Best, and that he and his MLC colleague Connie Bonaros would continue to advocate for the project to be undertaken in the near term.
"It is at times like this (Easter long weekend) when the Victor Harbor Road between Mount Compass and Victor is at its most perilous," Frank said.
"Thousands of motorists will take to the major thoroughfare over the next four days bringing a spotlight to its worsening condition.
"RAA statistics show that 43 people were killed or seriously injured on a 48km stretch of the Adelaide to Victor Harbor Road between 2012 and 2016 - almost one fatality for every one kilometre.
"That's an appalling statistic and a tragic indictment on the condition of the road.
"Connie and I will continue to have discussions with the State Government to ensure the project remains on its radar, something I suspect will receive renewed focus in the lead-ip to the next election."