The new heavy vehicle rest area along the Princes Highway in Salt Creek, South Australia is now officially open to truck drivers.
The $3.8 million project’s completion sees a new rest area available with five heavy vehicle parking bays, a unisex toilet block, a metal shade structure and picnic facilities.
The South Australian government says the new rest stop is accessible to drivers travelling eastbound towards Robe and will deliver “a significant safety and freight productivity boost” for drivers wanting to stop, manage fatigue and check loads.
The new rest area was funded in an 80:20 arrangement between the federal and SA governments as part of the Heavy Vehicle Rest Area initiative.
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A Department for Infrastructure and Transport spokesperson says the location was selected to meet rest area spacing requirements and design guidelines for safe vehicle access and egress, while minimising impacts on adjacent properties and areas of high environmental and cultural significance within the Coorong region.
“This project is an investment in the wellbeing of the hard-working truck drivers who now have a safe space to stop when travelling eastbound along Princes Highway,” the spokesperson says.
“Rest areas play a vital role helping heavy vehicle drivers manage fatigue, increasing productivity and keeping freight safely on the move.
“This new rest area at Salt Creek will deliver long-term safety improvements for all road users, while driving regional economic growth and freight efficiencies across the state’s south east.”
On average, approximately 1,200 vehicles travel along Princes Highway near Salt Creek each day, including more than 200 heavy vehicles. During the 2020 to 2024 five-year period, the department says there were 49 reported crashes on the Princes Highway between Meningie and Kingston, including two serious injury crashes.
The new rest area follows the completion of infrastructure upgrades last year on the Princes Highway from Meningie to the South Australian/Victorian border.