A BERRI local is calling on the State Government to fix a blackspot intersection before it is “too late”.
Dave Moritz, who has been living near the intersection of the Old Sturt Highway, Jury Road and Fuller Road in Berri for 25 years, said accidents regularly occur at the junction.
“You hear brakes squealing all the time from near-misses,” he said.
“Unfortunately, with all these accidents that happen on a regular basis, eventually someone will be killed, and who do you blame then?”
In late April, a driver was taken to hospital after a rear-end crash at the junction, with local MFS, SES and police called to the scene.
Mr Moritz said rear-endings at the location were common due to the design of the intersection.
“When people are doing a right-hand turn (from the highway onto Jury Road), people stop right in the middle of the lane,” he said.
“People just drive along, and they decide all of a sudden they are going to turn and they stop and there’s no adequate slip lanes on the sides for people to go around.”
Mr Moritz also said the left-hand turn from Jury Road back onto the highway was also dangerous.
“It’s a Y-junction, plus there’s no stop sign when you’re coming from Monash and you can’t see everything,” he said.
“People come around the corner at great speeds and then they are on a road where the speed limit is only 80km/h.
“It’s going to be a death trap there and then it’s all going to be too late.”
Mr Moritz said it had been his priority for the more than two decades he has lived near the intersection to have it fixed, but said his calls had “fallen on deaf ears” at the Berri Barmera Council and the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI).
“The multiple prangs that have happened over the years don’t seem to be ringing any bells with anybody,” he said.
“Last report I received from council is that a fix could take four or five years, but I’ve been waiting for 25 so I’m not holding my breath.”
Berri Barmera CEO Karyn Burton said the council could not work on the intersection as the highway is controlled by the State Government, but had lobbied DPTI to address safety concerns at the junction.
“Council has constantly been in touch with DPTI regarding the intersection,” she said.
“We don’t dispute that it is a problem intersection, but the responsibility (to upgrade it) is with DPTI, not the council.”
A DPTI spokesperson said upgrades at the intersection are not currently programmed.
“Berri Barmera Council, together with the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, initiated a project to develop a detailed design to upgrade this intersection, but it did not meet Federal Black Spot Program criteria for Reactive Projects and has consequently not yet been funded,” the spokesperson said.
“This project will be considered with respect to other state-wide priorities at a later date.
“It should be noted that during the last five-year period (2015 to 2019 preliminary), there were two reported crashes causing injury at the Old Sturt Highway/Jury Road intersection. These crashes resulted in two minor injuries.”
Berri Barmera Council is currently planning major upgrades to Jury Road including realignment and safety improvements along the length of the road.
Stage one of the upgrades is currently out for tender, with hopes works will commence within the next few months.