Major Infrastructure Projects
This section features major infrastructure projects proposed and under way in the South West Region of Western Australia.
Bunbury Port Access Road (Stage 1)
Project under construction
Bunbury
Main Roads
Construction of a new access road for the Port of Bunbury will provide a direct access route for a significant proportion of the port's freight traffic. The access road will run across South Western Highway, linking into the Boyanup-Picton Road, providing a high standard connection to the port. Land acquisition and fencing is complete with necessary service relocations well advanced and a noise wall at Vittoria Heights nearing completion. On site works are currently underway with an expected completion date of December 2009.
Expenditure: $63 million
Perth - Bunbury Highway
Completed project
Main Roads
The new Perth-Bunbury Highway was officially opened on 20 September 2009. It completes the high standard inter-regional road link between Perth and the South West, bypassing the heavily populated areas in Mandurah and the Dawesville Peninsula. The 70 kilometres of new road extends the dual carriageway from Kwinana Freeway at Safety Bay Road, around the eastern side of the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary joining the dual carriageway on the Old Coast Road near Lake Clifton, thereby improving access and travel times between Bunbury and Perth. The State Government awarded an alliance contract for design and construction of the new highway to the Southern Gateway Consortium, which included Leighton Contractors, WA Limestone and GHD Consulting who built the highway in partnership with Main Roads WA.
Expenditure: $705 million.
Binningup Desalination Plant
Project under construction
Taranto Road, Binningup
State Government
In 2007 the State Government announced that a second seawater desalination plant would be Western Australia’s next major drinking water source. The majority of the plant is located on a disused limestone quarry north of Binningup. Construction commenced in July 2009 and will be completed by 2011, with the new plant beginning operation by late 2011. The new plant will provide around 50 gigalitres of drinking water per year, with the potential to increase to 100 gigalitres in the future. The cost of building the State’s second desalination plant and infrastructure to connect it into the water supply system (IWSS) will be $955 million.
Bunbury Outer Ring Road
Project under consideration
Bunbury
Main Roads
The Bunbury Outer Ring Road will form a major part of the future regional road network, providing a direct connection to the major roads radiating from Bunbury: the Perth-Bunbury Highway, South Western Highway (north), South Western Highway (south to Manjimup) and Bussell Highway. Preliminary planning is currently underway.
Expenditure: $190 million.
Collie River Bridge
Project under construction
Eaton-Australind
Main Roads
Groundwork has started on the new Collie River Bridge with preparation of the northern approach to the new bridge, including clearing vegetation, stripping topsoil and importing sand already underway. The new bridge will be a concrete structure, 121m long and 13m wide, with two 3.5m traffic lanes. The bridge will be about 0.85m higher than the existing bridge and provide a navigation span sufficient for boats using the river. A separate, 3m-wide, dual-use path for cyclists and pedestrians with connecting ramps to existing pathways will be built at each end. Construction of the bridge started in January 2009 and will be completed by early 2010.