Rail crossings in South Australia will be made safer after the state received another $654,000 in federal funding.
The money has come from a federal $160 million four-year fund for railway crossing upgrades.
Federal Transport Minister Catherine King says 11 out of 119 crossings have been identified for priority work: two on the Barrier Highway at Ucolta and Bindarrah; four on Wheat, Beaufort, Branch Hill and McLachlan roads in Beaufort; and five on Tassie and Madland streets, Stirling and Hospital roads and Carlton Parade, in Port Augusta.
Work will include upgrading warning signs, new reflective signs and flashing lights, says Federal Transport and Regional Development Minister Catherine King.
SA Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Emily Bourke welcomed the funding which will allow them to expand their work.
“These upgrades will reduce the risk of dangerous collisions and improve overall safety for years to come,” she says.
This funding comes after $6.2 million was given to South Australia in 2024.
URBAN CROSSING BLACKSPOT
The SA Government is also spending $3m on upgrading a level crossing over Grange Road at Lower Mitcham and Hawthorn.
The crossing, where the road crosses the Belair Passenger Line and the ARTC Freight Line south of the city, has been the site of numerous safety incidents, the government says.
From 2021-2025, there were 51 reports made of boom gates striking vehicles and drivers queuing across the rail tracks at the site which is used by more than 7000 vehicles a day.
Work includes removing the stop signs, new traffic signals on the western side, new detectors to prevent vehicles queuing over the crossing, re-grading the road; removing the right turn from Verco Avenue (left in/left out only); and installing traffic cameras at the level crossing.
Major construction will take place from December 2025 to March 2026 when the roads are quieter, government says, with temporary closures for up to a week in January or otherwise.
Adelaide Metro bus services will divert around the site but train services, and access to Mitcham Station, will not be interrupted.
Intermittent closures of the junctions of Abbotshall Road and Verco Avenue with Grange Road will be required during the work as well as temporary traffic restrictions.
MP for Waite Catherine Hutchesson says the site has seen far too many close calls.
“I saw a boom gate hit a vehicle at this crossing and we can’t afford to wait for something worse to happen,” she says.
“With more than 50 reported incidents at this crossing in the last few years, it’s clear something needed to be done,” minister Bourke says.
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