The intersection at Yorkeys Crossing Road and the Stuart Highway, north of Port Augusta in South Australia, will be upgraded to allow access to the decoupling yard which is part of the nearby IOR Petroleum facility.
Triple road trains and other combinations up to 53.5m long, will soon have access to the decoupling facility, including a livestock transfer tower.
This will increase productivity for livestock transport operators and assist the flow of cattle between South Australia and the Northern Territory.
SA Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Minister Leon Bignell, said, “The upgrades and access improvements are about increasing productivity by building efficiencies in transportation, saving the agricultural industry time and money. The new infrastructure will also reduce the risk of injury to workers and livestock.”
The State Government has worked with the local council and industry to deliver the improvements which will improve cross-loading of livestock and build efficiencies in agricultural transport.
Once complete, the upgrade will provide transport operators a facility to reconfigure triple road train combinations to semi-trailers or B doubles – which are approved to travel on roads south of Port Augusta.
The access upgrade is another initiative of the successful 90 Day Project, Improving Road Transport for the Agriculture Industry, which has already seen $56 million in industry benefits flow to the agricultural and transport sectors in South Australia.
It highlights the value in the collaborative bilateral relationship between South Australia and the Northern Territory and supports the renewed commitment to undertake critical road infrastructure upgrades to support transport supply chain routes between jurisdictions.
NT Cattlemen’s Association CEO Tracey Hayes said, “This announcement on a triple road decoupling facility for Yorkeys Crossing is a significant breakthrough and both the South Australian and Northern Territory Governments should be congratulated on the first steps to resolving some significant issues.”
Local industry are set to benefit, particularly the agricultural sector – there are rapidly emerging opportunities for the cattle and beef industry to supply organic and premium products to premium markets.
