Safety upgrades drive smoother journeys on Limestone Coast

Monday 10 November 2025

Critical road safety upgrades are underway on the Southern Ports Highway in the state’s southeast, boosting freight efficiency and making travel safer on the key tourist route.

The works include shoulder widening, vegetation management, pavement rehabilitation and resealing on a 15-kilometre section of the highway, between Robe and Clay Wells Road, Bray.

Safety barriers and Audio Tactile Line Marking are also being installed as part of the project, providing extra protection for all road users and driving safer journeys between popular holiday spots on the Limestone Coast.

These works are part of a broader $18.3 million upgrade of Southern Ports Highway creating safer, more efficient connections between South Australian communities.

Between 2020 and 2024, there were eight recorded casualty crashes, including one serious injury crash, on the highway between Kingston and Millicent.

The safety upgrades will reduce the likelihood of ‘run-off-road’ crashes and the risk of a serious or fatal collision. Truck drivers will also see the benefits with safer, smoother and more reliable freight movements along the highway.

During construction, the section between Robe and Clay Wells Road will remain open at all times. However, speed and lane restrictions will be in place throughout work areas, including when no workers are present on site.

Additionally, further road safety improvements are progressing on the Southern Ports Highway, between Beachport and the Southend Access Road turn-off.

These works include reconstruction of the road surface, which is being undertaken in stages by Wattle Range Council on behalf of the Department for Infrastructure and Transport.

Together, the safety upgrades will support regional economic growth, creating 65 full-time-equivalent jobs over the construction period, with completion expected in mid-2026.

Both these projects are part of a $168 million investment in South Australia under the national Road Safety Program.

The safety upgrades follow the recent completion of a new dedicated left turn lane for vehicles turning off Southern Ports Highway into Southend Access Road, funded under the State Government’s $10 million Regional Road Safety Infrastructure Package.