South Australian roads in need of repair as RAA estimates maintenance ‘backlog’ at $2.1 billion

The state’s crumbling road network is deteriorating twice as fast as it can be fixed, prompting calls for an urgent injection of funding.

South Australia’s road network is facing a $2.1 billion road maintenance backlog, with the state’s thoroughfares deteriorating faster than they can be fixed.

An Auditor General’s report shows, over the last five years, roads have deteriorated to the value of $1.6 billion, while only $892 million had been spent on maintaining the road network – a shortfall of 45 per cent.

Among the roads in dire need of being fixed include the notorious Victor Harbor Rd, as well as main thoroughfares Main North Rd, Marion Rd and Greenhill Rd.

Rural roads including Black Top Rd in One Tree Hill, Dalkeith Rd in Kudla, Horrocks Highway in Roseworthy and Goolwa Rd in Currency Creek also made the top 10 list of being in need of urgent repairs.

A new report has many of SA’s roads are in a state of disrepair.

The report recommended that “road maintenance expenditure should be matched to the depreciation of the road network each year to prevent deterioration of the existing network and avoid higher expenditure in future years”.

The RAA has called for a $1 billion investment over four years from the state government to address the road maintenance backlog, which they say has reached a total of $2.1 billion.

The Auditor General’s report stated that annual investment in road maintenance from the state government in 2024-25 had increased to $189m. The RAA has called for this to increase to $250m.

RAA senior infrastructure and road safety manager Charles Mountain said the report implied that the problem was “fast getting away from the government”.

“South Australia is quite literally on the road to ruin without investment to address this now-record backlog,” Mr Mountain said.

RAA senior infrastructure and road safety manager Charles Mountain. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“Without serious investment, our roads will continue to deteriorate faster than the state can fix them and that makes for a bumpy, and less safe ride, for all South Australians.”

Mr Mountain warned that roads with potholes, rutting and crumbling shoulders pose a risk to driver’s safety.

“If you hit a pothole or your wheel drops off a crumbling shoulder at 110km/h, the consequences can be horrific, possibly fatal,” he said.

A list of SA’s most in-need-of-repair roads, sourced from data collected in a survey of RAA members, revealed that major roadways including Marion Rd, Main North Rd and Greenhill Rd were considered some of the state’s worst by road users.

Transport Minister Emily Bourke said the Transport Department manages more than 23,000km of road across SA.

“Our government knows maintenance is ongoing that’s why we’ve invested an additional $20 million over two years, commencing from 2027-2028, to deliver additional road safety maintenance for regional and metropolitan roads, including resurfacing, replacement of safety barriers and audio tactile line marking, and maintenance of electrical assets,” she said.

Transport Minister Emily Bourke. Picture: Russell Millard

“We’re rebuilding capability to make sure South Australians have safe, reliable roads.”

Comprehensive SA road ratings data has yet to be made public, after The Advertiser exclusively revealed in September that the Transport Department had withdrawn consent for AusRAP data to be released.

The department said at the time that it was waiting for the data, collected during a national AusRAP road ratings survey, to be verified, and that they were “actively working” to complete the assessments.

Originally published as South Australian roads in need of repair as RAA estimates maintenance ‘backlog’ at $2.1 billion