Completed project will improve safety for trucks moving livestock through the NT
A key livestock freight route has been upgraded in Northern Australia with the completion of the $5.8 million Carpentaria Highway project.
Part of the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Programme, the works improved a 3.8km stretch of the major access route for the Borroloola and Gulf Region.
Welcoming the news, Northern Territory senator Nigel Scullion says the highway services up to 15 pastoral stations and is vital to the local economy.
“The Carpentaria Highway is the major access route for Borroloola and the Gulf Region, especially for services provided out of Katherine and Darwin,” Scullion says.
“These works have made the highway flatter through the dangerously steep Borroloola Jump Up section, which means it is easier for trucks travelling uphill and much safer for everyone travelling downhill.
“It also provides better sight distance to oncoming traffic reducing the risk of crashes.
“Up to 15 pastoral stations rely on the Carpentaria Highway to carry around 30,000 cattle every year to the East Arm Port in Darwin for the live export market, making our investment in this project an investment in the livelihoods of locals and the national economy.”
Completed just before wet season begins in the region, Northern Territory deputy chief minister and infrastructure, planning and logistics minister Nicole Manison says the road will help industries, such as mining, that work all year round.
“Getting fuel, as well as all the supplies and heavy equipment, in and out can be a real logistical challenge with wet season load restrictions, which is why we have repaired broken highway pavement and made it more resistant to wet season damage,” Manison says.
The upgrade was state and federally funded.