Fatal crash tribute removed as Onkaparinga Council upgrades Piggott Range Road and Upper Penneys Hill Road
A memorial honouring the life of a 56-year-old woman has been removed from a notoriously dangerous intersection ahead of a full upgrade.
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A memorial honouring the life of a 56-year-old woman has been removed from a notoriously dangerous road as Onkaparinga Council begins a $430k safety upgrade.
The intersection at Piggott Range Rd and Upper Penneys Hill Rd will be widened and give way signs altered after safety concerns were raised by residents.
Seven trees will be removed for the upgrade, one with a memorial to an Onkaparinga Hills woman killed after her car crashed into a tree in 2019.
Acting director of operations Matt Buckell said a family member of the deceased has made contact with council and collected the memorial.
“I’d like to thank the community for sharing the information far and wide on social media, which we believe was instrumental in alerting the family, who we are now working with to determine if there may be a suitable new location to place the memorial nearby once the road safety project is complete,” Mr Buckell said.
“Last year was a horror year on South Australia’s roads, so we’re doing everything we can to make our roads safer. We’re also asking the community to remain alert and always drive to the conditions.”
Council received $429,540 in funding from the federal government’s Black Spot program in response to a history of road crashes at the intersection involving vehicles hitting trees, including a fatal crash in 2019.
A woman – the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle – died at the scene after her car crashed into a tree late at night.
The upgrade includes changing the intersection priority and reconfiguring it, widening the roadside shoulders and even potentially installing guardrails.
“Up to seven trees have been identified for removal,” council documents state.
“Wherever possible we avoid removing trees to facilitate a project however in this case, the upgrade can’t be completed without tree removals and the intersection upgrade is in the interest of reducing road trauma.”
Works began on March 26 and are expected to be completed in May.
Temporary speed limit restrictions are in place with a two-day full closure expected for a new asphalt road surfacing. Detours will be in place.
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