The report released on Thursday shows Upper Yorke Road on the Yorke Peninsula to be the state’s worst grain road, followed by Nine Mile Road at Malinong and Worlds End Highway between Robertstown and Eudunda.

A spokesperson for GPSA said it conducted a statewide online poll which saw all members of the grain community submitting the roads they believed were in the worst condition.

GPSA Chief Executive Officer Brad Perry said the feedback from producers highlighted the poor condition of key freight routes.

“The feedback we received through the Worst Grain Roads campaign demonstrates that critical grain routes are falling into disrepair and need urgent investment and attention,” Perry said.

“The campaign has shown that grain producers are not just losing productivity due to the condition of the federal, state and local government roads highlighted in the top ten of the Worst Grain Road campaign, but they fear for their safety and that of others travelling these routes.”

It comes as concerns rise over two Eyre Peninsula roads closed for repairs only months after completion, following heavy traffic after a bumper harvest.

Grain farmer Brett Mickan lives and works near Cummins on the Eyre Peninsula and said a slip lane at the intersection of the Todd and Flinders Highway was opened late this year before heavy traffic tore it up in a matter of weeks forcing its closure.

“It’s falling to bits and now we can’t even use it. The intersection’s falling apart too,” Mickan said.

“All the bitumen [in the slip lane] has broken up and it has holes in it, which is really disappointing when it took them 12 months to build it.”

Damage on a new slip lane near Cummins on the Flinders Highway, closed for repairs. Photo supplied.

Mickan said another road, Western Approach Road, heading out of Port Lincoln, had a new overtaking lane opened late this year, before closing shortly after due to damage.

He said the closure of rail on the Eyre Peninsula in 2019 and a bumper grain harvest has put more stress on the road network.

“The roads just aren’t built for it, I’m 100 per cent all for a return of rail,” he said.

Grain Producers’ roads report saw the Eyre Peninsula receiving the second highest number of complaints from farmers, truck drivers and community members.

Another farmer Andrew Hetzel, has been farming on the peninsula for 25 years.

Living at Lock, Hetzel travels along the Todd and Flinders Highway frequently and said that as well as the new slip lane which has already been damaged, there are patches of damage on both highways.

“I’m seeing holes develop the size of the bonnet of a car, just because of the overuse of heavy vehicles.

“Rail and road transport worked well together, but without it there’s just too much traffic, the roads have had enough.

“The biggest concern is always safety. If I’ve got my wife and kids in the car heading to Port Lincoln at this time of year it makes it a bit more worrying,” he said.

“So many towns now have trucks driving through their main streets, trucks after trucks after trucks it’s a bit of an overflow.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure and Transport said works are continuing to construct new overtaking lanes on Flinders Highway at the junction with Tod Highway, and Western Approach Road.

“As part of this project some rectification works were required. These works need to be undertaken in drier and warmer weather, and so could not be completed over winter,” the spokesperson said.

Outspoken Eyre Peninsula advocate Marie Shaw KC said the condition of roads in the Eyre Peninsula since rail freight was abandoned supports the need for its return.

“The [former Marshall] government were promising $125 million for Eyre Peninsula on the closure of the rail effectively, but only $32 million was for the effect of the closure of the rail and those upgrades are falling apart,” Shaw said.

“That money effectively essentially did not achieve any outcome at all because the road is not built nor is it capable of withstanding the damage caused by the truck traffic.

“The increase in the grain harvest means that you’re putting 60 trucks on the road for every train that used to run into Port Lincoln.” 

The top ten Worst Grain Roads:

1. Upper Yorke Road (Arthurton to Kulpara)
2. Nine Mile Road (Malinong)
3. Worlds End Highway (Robertstown to Eudunda)
4. Mallee Highway
5. Flinders Highway
6. Owen Road (Hamley Bridge to Templers)
7. Booleroo Road (Willowie to Booleroo)
8. Templers Road (Freeling to Templers)
9. Frances Road (Frances to Hynam)
10. Barrier Highway (Saddleworth to Burra)