Truro truck bypass debate ‘ripping the town in half’, with proponents saying it will save lives – while others fearing economic ruin

A small regional SA town is so fiercely split over a $200m truck bypass mothers are being harassed at the local school.

The township of Truro is divided on a highway bypass that would divert the Sturt Highway around the town with tensions between residents “ripping the town in half”.

After years of discussion, the project was allocated $161.6 million by the federal government in May in conjunction with a $40.4 million commitment by the state government with completion expected by 2026.

While no official route around Truro has been determined yet, a group of local business owners and managers from the motel, petrol station and antiques stores fear the bypass will kill their businesses.

The group has faced stiff opposition from other members of the community who believe the bypass will protect the town from the dangers of heavy vehicles on the main street and reduce noise.

Mahi Challagulla, Duane Boerth, Rebecca Hutchins, Tracey Findh and James Nagel oppose the Truro bypass in its current form. Picture: Jason Katsaras

A truck on Truro’s main street. Picture Jason Katsaras

Antiques shop owner Duane Boerth said a town on a national highway had to expect noise or traffic and believed main street businesses would be “collateral damage” to the project.

“It’s like moving to the airport and complaining about the noise, 90 per cent of my customers are travellers heading between the Riverland or Adelaide so this bypass will mean I’ll lose my business,” Mr Boerth said.

“It’s ripped this town in half and I can’t even look at some people. One woman opposed to the bypass was harassed at Truro Primary School by other mothers who are worried about their kids and the trucks.

“We had a taste of what’s to come during Covid, there was no one travelling through and it was an absolute ghost town.”

Local shop owner at Soul Star Retreats, Cheryl Ueding, said the bypass was necessary to prevent potentially fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles.

“I have a business and I might get affected, but safety is more important, I’ve seen five B-double rollovers in the past 20 years,” Ms Ueding said.

A truck which crashed through three property fronts in Truro last year. Picture supplied

“A lot of the businesses complaining are on the other side of the town, I continually have customers nearly cleaned up, the trucks are holding this town to ransom.”

Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin said the project would create 555 jobs, boost the competitiveness of agriculture in SA and had the strong support of the Truro and District Community Association.
“The Truro bypass was identified as a priority project some eight years ago, and it is fantastic that this piece of nation-building infrastructure has its funding now secure,” Mr Pasin said.

“I am hopeful the concerns expressed by some business owners in Truro will be allayed by the final design and appropriate signage.”

Sunrise Bakery owner James Nagel said the Truro and District Community Association had not released any minutes or information from its meetings and believed the group was misrepresenting the community.

“You’ve got this small group of people who are basically the voice of the town and businesses, I don’t know where they get the idea the town is going to boom and prosper from the bypass,” Mr Nagel said.

“We wouldn’t be opposed to a bypass which goes close to the town, point-to-point speed cameras to slow trucks down or some sort of funding to future-proof Truro’s existence, but as it stands no one is listening.”

Mid-Murray Council Mayor David Burgess said the bypass would greatly benefit the town both in safety and character and was supported by the council.

“If you sit in Truro now and see the B-doubles and triples, it's a pretty intimidating place, but post bypass we think it has the potential to be a significant town in the Barossa,” Mr Burgess said.

“Once we know where the bypass is going our planning team will work with the government to make new parcels of land available for housing and retail, it will become a nicer place to live.

“Everyone thought Hahndorf would die when it was bypassed years ago, but look at it now, it’s quite the opposite.”