A LARGE tree branch hanging over a major South East highway has triggered safety concerns, with a nearby resident calling for action to remove the hazard.
Located around 10km west of Mount Gambier on the Princes Highway, the low hanging limb covers part of the road along a segment which John Fartch claims is notorious for falling trees and debris.
Mr Fartch has called on the Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) to rectify the issue along the major freight route before it becomes a major hazard.
The issue was brought to Grant District Council’s attention in April and was then elevated to the transport department given the highway is a state-owned road, leaving the local government body hamstrung.
“I called the council a few weeks after initially reporting it to tell them that it has gotten lower,” Mr Fartch said.
“Once there was a four-deck lamb crate in front of me as I was heading into town and it almost hit the branch.
“This road is a busy one, especially for trucks and freight.”
Concerned the force created by the large amount of passing trucks will weaken the branch even further, Mr Fartch said the road was notorious for branches falling on the road.
“There have been two trees within the past 18 months that have landed on the road,” he said.
“This one here is leaning right over the whole road and is getting lower and lower.”
The transport department confirmed to The Border Watch the branch in question, along with a second limb, would be removed within the next fortnight.
Welcoming the development, Mr Fartch said the department needed to “take responsibility”, adding the branch should have been removed when it was first reported.
“When you see it as often as I do it is just getting lower and lower,” Mr Fartch said.
“If it falls in the dark when someone is driving past it will not be a good outcome.
“It is not just this one either, you can see many other trees around the road that is falling down.”
Grant District Council infrastructure manager Adrian Schultz confirmed council contacted the department about the issue following Mr Fartch’s correspondence in April.
“There are not too many trees that are reported as a hazard along the Princes Highway,” Mr Schultz said.
“We do whatever we need to do to assess them, then we contact the department.”
Mr Schultz also said the public is reminded if council is contacted it is not in their control, as the road is owned by the state.
“It is up to the state department to remove it but Grant Council is happy to contact them, yet we remind the public we are not responsible for how long it takes to act upon the reports,” Mr Schultz said.
