Push to upgrade SA 'death corridor' road

A stretch of the National Highway A1 in South Australia has become a dilapidated "death corridor" and must be urgently upgraded, civil engineers say.

The Civil Contractors Federation of SA says more than 30 traffic accidents on the stretch of road between Port Wakefield and Port Augusta over the past three years have led to 61 serious casualties, including 14 deaths.

The group is calling on the SA and federal governments to make upgrading the road, at a cost of more than $1.2 billion, their highest priority.