Truro Businesses Want Clarity on Freight Bypass Project

Topic: Roads

Monday, 25 May 2026, at 6:17 am

The Truro bypass will move big trucks away from the Sturt Highway.

In short:

The full timeline for the Greater Adelaide Bypass Project is not clear. The state government thinks the federal government should pay 80% of the cost.

The federal government has offered to pay 60% of the cost. No new money was given in the May federal budget.

What's next?

We will see how much money the SA government gives in its budget in June.

Businesses in a major South Australian road are waiting to make decisions about their future. They are unsure about a road project that could move traffic around their area.

Plans for a Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass have been talked about since the 2025 federal election. Both major parties said it was a big promise.

The $1 billion project includes moving trucks around the town of Truro. The Sturt Highway is the main street of Truro.

The full timeline for the project is still not clear. The state government wants the federal government to pay 80% of the cost.

There was a dispute about the project before. The federal and state governments gave money for a Truro bypass in 2021. But the federal Labor government stopped the money in 2023.

The uncertainty has made local businesses wait. They are waiting for an update on the next stages of the project.

The Truro Hotel will celebrate its anniversary on Friday.

Influence of the highway

The Truro Hotel is one of the businesses on the road.

It was closed for a long time but was reopened almost a year ago.

The hotel manager, Nicholas Brown, said the hotel is a place for locals and travelers to meet and rest.

Many people stop at the hotel because they see it from the highway.

Nicholas Brown says the local pub is important for regional communities.

The hotel owners want to build a new bottle shop across the road.

But they are unsure if it's a good idea because of the bypass. They don't know how it will affect the number of visitors.

The hotel manager is worried that the bypass will reduce the number of visitors. He thinks the bottle shop might not be viable.

The Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass project will move up to 420,000 trucks a year around the city.

Building the bypass

People have been talking about a freight bypass around Truro for decades. Many plans have been made and canceled.

Locals have different opinions about the project. Some think it's necessary, while others are unsure about its impact on the town.

The federal government has offered to pay 60% of the cost. The state government has to pay the rest.

The SA Treasurer said they will start building the bypass as soon as possible if they get 80% of the cost from the federal government.

He wants to get an 80% agreement before the June state budget.

The state opposition wants the project to start.

Christopher Parker has mixed feelings about the bypass.

He moved to Truro three years ago and bought a winery to turn it into a car and motorcycle museum.

He wants Truro to be a destination that people visit on purpose.

His father left behind a collection of over 200 historic vehicles.

He wants to continue his father's collection.

When he moved to Truro, he didn't know about the bypass. He thought the location was perfect for his museum.

The museum will have over 100 years of motoring history.

But he couldn't sleep at night because of the noise from the trucks.

He wants a decision about the bypass so he can plan for the future.

He thinks the community deserves to know what will happen.

If the bypass is built, he wants to close the main street and have big car and motorcycle festivals.

He thinks they can make it work no matter what happens.

Monday, 25 May 2026, at 6:17 am

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