Taxpayers face $3bn bill to fix state’s crumbling roads as official review probes government contracts

SA taxpayers face an almost $3bn bill to fix the state’s crumbling roads, official figures show, amid mounting concerns motorists are at risk from the huge backlog of repairs. See what needs fixing near you.

South Australians face an almost $3bn bill to fix the state’s crumbling roads amid mounting concerns motorists are being put at risk from a neglected maintenance backlog.

South Australians face an almost $3bn bill to fix the state’s crumbling roads, data suggests, amid mounting concerns motorists are being put at risk from a neglected maintenance backlog.

Official figures, released under Freedom of Information laws, reveal 2039km of highways and main roads are in major disrepair, while more than 331,000 “defects” need urgent fixing.

The Transport and Infrastructure Department states the taxpayer cost to erase the backlog is $1.935bn, which includes “escalating” costs such as inflation and other outlays.

The FOI data only includes state government works on more than 130,000km arterial roads or highways, for which maintenance is their responsibility.

Industry estimates the ratepayer repair bill for suburban and local roads, which are the responsibility of local government, at $1bn – sparking council calls for increased federal support.

The state’s total defect bill is more than $434m, which can include 54 types of works, such as repairs on potholes, cracking, sealing, fencing, drain clearing, vegetation and lawn mowing, fixing signs or signals and removing graffiti.

More than one defect may be the reason for the need to repair, officials say.

App users go here to search the full backlog interactive table.

In response to questions, Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis announced a road maintenance contract review to investigate the former Liberal government’s outsourcing.

His spokesman refused to provide any state budget details to reduce the backlog, which was $1.955bn when Labor won office last year.

But transport groups and the Opposition called for urgent works as police figures show almost double the number of people have died on South Australian roads so far this year compared to the same time in 2022 – the majority of which occurred on country roads.

South Australians face an almost $3bn bill to fix the state’s crumbling roads, data suggests. Picture: RAA

Opposition transport spokesman, Vincent Tarzia, said the government “needs to get both hands on the wheel and take control of this atrocious road maintenance backlog”.

“Neglected roads put the safety of South Australian road users at risk,” he said.

“At this rate, South Australia is on the Highway to Hell under Labor with no end to this roads backlog in sight.”

A league table of the state’s total backlog showed the majority of the 10 biggest repair bills were for country highways.

The worst Adelaide networks included South, North East, Brighton and Norton Summit roads.

The most expensive bill is almost $323m to replace a third of the 945km Eyre Highway, which is the main transport route from Port Augusta to WA. It tops a repair list with an almost $4.4m bill to fix 16,169 defects.

Nearly 300,000 defects were fixed over the past three years, according to data the department initially refused to release before chief executive Jon Whelan overturned after a review.

While it doesn’t include any River Murray flood damage, officials say all roads have reopened and most defects repaired.

Commonwealth disaster recovery funding is available for long term “resilience works”.

Transport Department officials are also developing long-term road maintenance plans.

South Australians face an almost $3bn bill to fix the state’s crumbling roads, data suggests. Picture MATT TURNER.

Mr Tarzia condemned the “whopping” bill – compared with $750m the Liberal government inherited in 2018 – and raised concerns about “massive cuts” to infrastructure projects from a federal Labor infrastructure review.

“This, paired with the worst road toll in two decades paints a grim picture for South Australia and a completely unacceptable standard from this government,” he said.

The RAA’s senior road safety manage, Charles Mountain, said repairs were “our top priority” for this year’s budget.

“Timely maintenance is essential to prevent small defects becoming much larger problems that can impact operational safety and ultimately cost more to fix,” he said.

Civil Contractors Federation SA chief executive, Rebecca Pickering, said the asphalt industry was reporting a “significant reduction in road maintenance spend”, causing one business to shelve multimillion-dollar plans for an Adelaide-based production plant.

She said poorly maintained roads were more prone to damage, structural failure or wear and tear while increased transport costs raise consumer prices.

“Road maintenance is much like painting the eaves on your house,” she said. “If you wait until the paint falls off and timber rots, the whole of life maintenance cost becomes significantly higher.”

SA Road Transport Association executive director, Steve Shearer, criticised years of neglect.

“No government, of any political persuasion, and in all three tiers, has ever spent enough money to ensure our roads are of standard,” he said.

Local Government Association president, Kimba mayor Dean Johnson said maintaining roads was most councils' single largest expense, totalling more than $340m a year.

He said despite having 11 per cent of Australia’s local roads, SA’s 68 councils receive just 5.5 per cent of federal funding.

“Over the past 12 months that’s been felt even more, with significant wear and tear from storm damage and flooding,” he said

“Councils … rely on federal funding to ensure they are not only kept to a high standard but can support the productivity of the freight network in our state.”

Mr Koutsantonis said SA “continues to reap the legacy of the former Marshall government’s era of error”.

He said more than $164m was allocated in last year’s budget, four year regional infrastructure funding totalled $467m, while the Commonwealth was pledging “significant investment” in additional road maintenance funding.

“It’s no secret however that the cost of materials and labour has escalated significantly,” he said.

“This has been a key driver of the growing cost (of) the state’s list of road maintenance options.

“We will continue to identify priorities for repair, but the reality is there will always be a significant spending requirement to maintain our roads.”

Originally published as Taxpayers face $3bn bill to fix state’s crumbling roads as official review probes government contracts