Members of the Dalkeith Country Fire Service (CFS) have welcomed the announcement that the Dalkeith/Main North Road intersection will be upgraded this financial year with traffic lights.

Local Member Mr Tony Piccolo said that he was pleased to be able to confirm to the Brigade Captain, Mr Clint Marsh and CFS members that the project had been brought forward in response to strong community concerns. “In mid-July, I received a letter from Road Safety Minister Peter Malinauskas saying that the intersection would be upgraded within two years,” Mr Piccolo said.

“While I welcomed the commitment to the upgrade, I was not happy with the proposed time frames."

“Following my further discussions with senior DPTI Officers and the Minister’s Office, I was pleased to learn that the project would now be delivered in the current financial year. “I have been advised that work on the intersection will start in the New Year, with design work due to be finalised later this year,” he said.

Mr Piccolo acknowledged the hard work undertaken by the local CFS volunteers at the Dalkeith Brigade that ensured this project came to fruition.

“In January 2015, the then Brigade Captain Justin Baxter, first raised his concerns about the intersection and the impact it was having on the Brigade’s work,” said Mr Piccolo.

“I arranged for a number of meetings to take place between DPTI officers and Mr Baxter to progress the issue,” he said. Dalkeith CFS’s current Captain, Mr Clint Marsh has continued to lobby for the upgrade of the intersection. More recently, the CFS’s efforts have been complemented by support from residents in the area and the Gawler Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS).

Mr Piccolo said that by working together the local CFS, officers at the Gawler MFS, local residents and his office have ensured that the State Government was aware of the importance of this project to the local community. “The intersection is now carrying greater levels of traffic as more people travel in an east/west direction to take advantage of the Norther Expressway,” Mr Piccolo said. “The major issue with the intersection is the high speed environment.

“If drivers makes a mistake, due to the speeds the vehicles are travelling, it could be fatal.

“While some people will not like another set of traffic lights, there is no viable alternative because of the risks associated with the high speeds along Main North Road.

“My next priority is ensuring the intersection of Tulloch and Main North Roads at Evanston is upgraded, sooner rather than later,” he said.