Truro bypass delayed as business owners look to a future that may have less traffic

A bypass project worth more than $200 million on a key South Australian freight route has been delayed, with works not expected to start until later this year.

The state and federal governments committed funds, in an 80/20 split, towards a bypass for the Sturt Highway at Truro in 2021.

Located at the edge of the Barossa Valley and the Riverland, nearly 4,000 vehicles travel through the small town daily, with 30 per cent of the traffic coming from heavy vehicles.

Duane Boerth, who owns an antique shop in Truro’s main street, said he would take his business online to help reduce the impact of having less traffic through town in the future.  

But he said many locals were still coming to terms with how the bypass would change Truro.

“It was really a tale of two sides,” Mr Boerth said.

“It’s hard to embrace something which is going to be detrimental to your business.”

But business owner Elizabeth Jennings sees the bypass as an opportunity. 

She opened a tea room and wine bar in Truro in October.

But Ms Jennings said government and locals needed to come together to keep the town on the map, after seeing how a bypass had impacted other towns where they had been built. 

“It’s going to hit quite hard to start with until the community [can] make it somewhere that people want to use the bypass to come and see what we have to offer,” she said.

“I hope that the government does come up with something to help us out and then we can become like a boutique town on the way.”

Ms Jennings said the Truro District and Community Association was undertaking a rebranding campaign for the town.

Federal Liberal Minister for Barker Tony Pasin said reducing heavy vehicle traffic through the town should not be at the expense of the town’s economy.

“The community very much want this to be referred to as the Truro freight route, instead of a bypass,” he said.

More funds needed for road safety

Mr Pasin said residents were also adamant the road should be made into a dual carriageway.

“You’re better off doing the job properly than … having to revisit it in a decade,” he said.

Mr Pasin said he had raised the issue with South Australian Infrastructure Minister Tom Koutsantonis a month ago, but had not had a response. 

Department for Infrastructure and Transport chief executive Jon Whelan said the funding secured for the project was only enough for a single carriageway. 

“We’ll try and secure the corridor for future duplication,” he said.

Mr Whelan said the delay was due to needing to fulfil the requirements of environmental laws to assess the impact on protected grasses in the area.

However, he said the project was now in the procurement phase.

“We’ve shortlisted down to two tenders within what we call our request for proposal phase, and they’re bidding competitively to be the successful major works contractor,” Mr Whelan said.