Traffic has started to flow through the flooded section of Stuart Highway, at Glendambo, with the road re-opening to trucks at sunrise this morning.
Although water remains on the road, the crucial travel route – reconnecting the vital north-south freight link – has been declared safe for truck use during daylight hours.
As water continues to recede, it is anticipated the highway will re-open to high clearance 4WD vehicles from Tuesday and may open to all transport later in the week under restricted traffic management conditions.
Premier Steven Marshall said strict conditions would be applied along the 600m section of highway, with only one truck permitted to use the section at a time with a 20km/h speed limit.
"We've been working hard with emergency services to re-open the highway as soon as possible, but we need to do it in a safe way that will not damage the road further," the Premier said.
"There is still a huge amount of clean up work to be done but we are relieved to re-open the highway and see the community gradually transit through.
"As we continue this work, we await an answer from the Federal Government to our request for disaster support in South Australia and we are hopeful of a response early next week."
Deputy Premier, and Member for Stuart, Dan van Holst Pellekaan, said more than 36 tonnes of emergency supplies have been airdropped to the Coober Pedy community by the Australian Defence Force.
"The staged re-opening of the highway this morning is great news for the local community as well as the trucking industry, pastoralists and stranded travellers," the Deputy Premier said.
"We know this has been an incredibly difficult time for people impacted by the floods and those who are counting down the seconds until they can be reunited with loved ones.
"Although the re-opening plan is dependent on the floodwaters receding an assessment of the road condition, we are confident the road should be open to all traffic under speed restriction – with flow in both directions – by the end of the week."
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Corey Wingard, said the Marshall Government is working closely with other agencies, including local councils, to repair and reopen roads.
"We have been working as quickly as possible to rectify the damage caused by our fourth wettest January on record and flash flooding across regional South Australia," Minister Wingard said.
"Large sections of the state's sealed and unsealed road network have been impacted, and we are working to prioritise roads for repair and re-opening. Roads that support the transport of essential supplies, commodities and services to the community and industry will be fast-tracked for restoration.
"But we won't compromise community or industry safety by re-opening roads before they are ready."
Subject to water levels and road conditions:
- From 7am today (Sunday 6 February), essential heavy freight and emergency service vehicles will be able to cross the flooded section one vehicle at a time, in one direction only (ie no two-way traffic on the flooded section) at a maximum speed of 20km/h.
- From Tuesday 8 February, high clearance 4WD vehicles will be permitted to cross the flooded section one vehicle at a time and in one direction only at a maximum speed of 20km/h.
- Once the road is safe for light vehicles, they will be permitted to travel under restricted traffic management conditions.
- Following a road condition assessment conducted mid-week, blocks of traffic may be able to proceed one direction at a time with traffic controls and restrictions as required.
- The highway at Glendambo may be ready to be re-opened to two-way traffic from Friday 11 February under a posted, lowered maximum speed limit.
Traffic management staff will monitor traffic restrictions and queues, while SA Police will monitor driver compliance while the road is open to traffic.
All projected timings for re-opening are dependent on weather and road condition assessments.
