Road limit return unlikely in short term

The Liberal government went to the election with a promise to restore speed limits to 110 kilometres an hour on eight major roads where they had been cut by the Labor government.

These were the Browns Well and Ngarkat highways in the Mallee, Riddock Highway and Clay Wells and Carpenter Rocks roads in the South East, Cleve Road on the Eyre Peninsula, Andamooka Road in the Far North and Goyder Highway in the Mid North.

When speaking with Stock Journal in April, Roads Minister Stephan Knoll said these would be returned to their previous speed limits "as soon as possible" once the necessary roadworks had been put in place.

In the budget released late last month, which included $1.1 billion towards record roads, Mr Knoll also referenced the speed limits.

"The 2019-20 state budget will also deliver on another election commitment to re-introduce the 110km/h speed limits on the eight country roads reduced under the former Labor government," he said.

In the state budget, $143 million has been dedicated "towards road safety improvements, including additional overtaking lanes and shoulder sealing to facilitate increased speed limits".

This money has not been budgeted to be spent until 2021-23.

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Calls to revise speed cuts

Stock Journal contacted Mr Knoll's office to ask if there was a timeline for these road repairs.

In response, Mr Knoll said the Marshall government had announced a record $1.115 billion for regional road projects and infrastructure upgrades across the state.

"This includes a record $878 million of new funding for regional roads and infrastructure that will help save lives on our country roads and build regional communities," he said.

"Last year we successfully brought forward around $600 million of federal infrastructure funding and we are in productive discussions with the federal government to do the same again this year to fast track these projects."

Opposition spokesperson for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services Lee Odenwalder said the government had not lived up to its commitment.

"Stephan Knoll's promise to regional SA before the election was clear - he promised that he would restore the 110 kmh speed limits on these eight roads, despite expert advice," he said.

"Faced with the reality of government, this promise has been broken.

"Nearly 18 months after the election, regional South Australians are still waiting.

"The necessary road maintenance is still at least two years away, with no guarantee that speed limits will be reinstated before the 2022 election."

Southern Mallee district council mayor Andrew Grieger said he had received no word from the state government as to when repairs might begin on either the Browns Well or Ngarkat highways.

"Realistically, I never expected to see it happen quickly," he said. "I don't believe it's in this year's budget."

But he remains hopeful the roads will be repaired and the speed limits returned.

He said the majority of the roads were fine with just shorter sections requiring attention.

"There was no reason to (reduce speed) on the full length of the road, it should have only been reduced on that 20 kilometres or so," he said.