Charlotte Varcoe
SOUTHERN Ports Highway is under scrutiny with a public meeting scheduled for next week.
Shadow Minister for Regional Roads Ben Hood has announced he will host a meeting specifically about the popular highway at Beachport.
Speaking with SA Today Mr Hood said he had written to the previous Minister for Regional Roads Geoff Brock prior to him stepping down from the position regarding the state of the road.
“I had a couple of local people reach out to me and warn me of just how terrible the road is,” he said.
“They had stories of tradies having to slow right down because of the equipment they had on board being damaged and I had freight companies telling me they had to slow down because the produce we were bringing into Beachport was getting damaged.”
Mr Hood said while these issues were raised following the roads being fixed, it remained uneven and would remain to affect businesses and tourism.
“I have heard reports of caravans warning other caravans who are coming, to stay away from the Southern Ports highway because the road is in such bad condition,” he said.
“If it is in that bad condition for locals who know how to drive to the conditions, I am really concerned for tourists and people visiting Beachport.”
Mr Hood said the works needed to be done at a level where the road was considered safe with parts of the road, when approaching, cause trucks to “jump back up again” after going over a dip.
“There needs to be a serious look at the work that is being done and a review into the work that is being done,” he said.
“If we have had the road fixed only this year, and it is now worse than it was, there is obviously a breakdown somewhere in the department and that needs to be addressed seriously.
“This is not just affecting everyday road users, this is affecting business, this is going to affect the town of Beachport.”
The event will be open to all community members with Mr Hood hoping it would give them an opportunity to speak their minds on the road and how to improve it.
It will be held at the Beachport Bowling Club on September 2, from 6.45pm onwards.
