Notorious South Eastern Freeway intersection set to be upgraded after another crash

Upgrades for a notorious SA intersection have been revealed.

The multimillion-dollar fix for the the notorious South-Eastern Freeway will not stop trucks losing their brakes but it will move some vulnerable motorists out of harm's way. Picture: 7NEWS

Plans to improve road safety at the notorious South Eastern Freeway intersection have been unveiled after a truck lost control at the Glen Osmond intersection on Wednesday.

Seven News has revealed that traffic lights at the dangerous Cross Road intersection will be shifted 100 meters back to move motorists out of the way of runaway trucks.

A government spokesperson told the network that “planning and design work on the proposal are underway and advanced”.

The project received funding in this week’s federal budget with work on the plan potentially expected to kick off within months.

Steve Shearer from the South Australian Road Transport Association told 7News: “the head of the department told me that it will be late this year or early next year that that work will be completed”.

Authorities have revealed how they plan to save lives at the bottom of the notorious South-Eastern Freeway. Picture: 7NEWS

The government is also reportedly considering installing a third arrester bed at the St Paul’s Catholic Church site.

The notorious blackspot has seen numerous horror crashes over the years, including in 2014 when a sewage truck ploughed into three cars at the traffic lights and killed two motorists.

While there were no deaths from this week’s crash, the 65-year-old driver was hospitalised with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

Plans to shift back traffic lights have been welcomed by some but retired interstate truck driver Paul Passehel who has spent more than 30 years on Australian roads slammed the proposal as “rubbish”.

“It’s going to cause a lot of people to run red lights,” Mr Passehel said.

He added that a third arrester bed is also not the solution.

“If your brakes aren’t working you would know that by the time you get to Crafers and if you can’t use the first two arrester beds then you shouldn’t be behind the wheel,” he said.

Instead, he called for an overpass “so trucks and cars coming down Mt Barker Road can go over Portrush and Cross Road, then on to Glen Osmond”.

“You can still have your left hand turn onto Cross Road and you can develop a right hand turn onto Portrush Road,” he said.

“And that way if a truck is coming down …. because the road raises up a fair bit, you’re going to have the truck able to be slowed down.”

Originally published as Notorious South Eastern Freeway intersection set to be upgraded after another crash