The Millicent Heavy Vehicle Detour is completed and will open to traffic on Monday 19 July 2010. The new road will direct all through traffic away from the Millicent township.

Wattle Range Council has announced that an official opening ceremony will be conducted on Friday 30 July 2010, just in time to receive maximum media exposure in the current Federal election campaign.

Invitations have been extended to Anthony Albanese and Patrick Conlon, the Federal and State Ministers for Transports respectively, to officiate at the opening. The attendance of the respective Ministers is yet to be confirmed.

The Australian Government provided funding support of $3.1 million under the AusLink Strategic Regional Programme together with State Government funding support of $1.0 million.

Built at a cost of $5.24 million the 13 kilometre detour extends the existing Agricultural Bureau Drive to create a detour road behind the Millicent Aerodrome from Adelaide Road to the north through to the Princess Highway at Snuggery in the south.

Others invited to the opening are Patrick Secker (Member for Barker), Mitch Williams (Member for MacKillop), Don Pegler (Member for Mount Gambier) and representatives from construction contractors (Gambier Earth Movers), project superintendents, (GHD) and the Department for Transport Energy & Infrastructure.