AN upgrade of the full length of Tower Road and a 2.6km section of the Penola/Casterton Road, from the Tower Road junction to the South Australian and Victorian border, is now complete.
Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure and Transport Minister Michael McCormack said the upgraded sections could now be reclassified as a higher mass limit B-double route to allow continuous freight access between Penola and Victoria.
“Around Australia, especially in regional Australia, the Liberal and Nationals government is focused on helping people get home sooner and safer,” Mr McCormack said.
“The Penola/Casterton Road is a key freight link for timber harvesting in the Green Triangle in the south eastern region of Australia and this upgrade will improve road safety and freight access to support harvesting and chipping of blue gum plantations.”
SA Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government Minister Stephan Knoll said the project would also facilitate a more direct transport route for livestock, grain and fresh produce from the farmgate to storage and distribution facilities.
“In addition to its support for agriculture, a large increase in timber plantation activity has occurred over the past decade in this area to now make it the largest timber plantation area in Australia, constituting more than 17pc of the national forest plantation sector,” Mr Knoll said.
