Works on several South-West projects funded through the Regional Road Safety Improvement Program are now underway across the region, creating and supporting local jobs.
Earlier this year the McGowan Government successfully secured a funding partnership with the Commonwealth Government to boost the Regional Road Safety Improvement Program.
Eleven road projects across the South-West region have received funding with works on several projects now underway.
Projects funded include:
| Project location and works | Cost | Estimated start date |
| South Western Highway (Harvey to Wokalup) Widen sealed shoulders to current formation and install audible edge lines. | $192,200 | Aug-20 |
| South Western Highway (Donnybrook to Bridgetown) Widen sealed shoulders to current formation and install audible edge lines. | $1,550,000 | Sep-20 |
| South Western Highway (Bridgetown to Manjimup) Widen sealed shoulders to current formation and install audible edge lines. | $2,091,600 | Oct-20 |
| South Western Highway (Manjimup to Vasse Highway) Widen sealed shoulders to current formation and install audible edge lines. | $840,160 | Jan-21 |
| Coalfields Highway (Roelands to Worsley) Install audible edge lines | $461,000 | Jan-21 |
| Vasse Highway (Pemberton to South Western Highway) Widen sealed shoulders to current formation and install audible edge lines. | $1,099,000 | Mar-21 |
| Collie Mumballup Road (Collie to south of Horrocks Road) Widen sealed shoulders to current formation and install audible edge lines. | $393,240 | Aug-20 |
| Boyanup-Picton Road (Boyanup to Dardanup) Widen sealed shoulders to current formation and install audible edge lines. | $601,900 | Aug-20 |
| Vasse Highway (Sues Road to Nannup) Widen sealed shoulders to current formation and install audible edge lines. | $2,013,000 | Oct-20 |
| Sues Road (Bussell Highway to Brockman Highway) Widen sealed shoulders to current formation and install audible edge lines. | $3,633,600 | Nov-20 |
| Brockman Highway (Steward Road to Wright Road) Widen sealed shoulders to current formation and install audible edge lines. | $1,844,640 | Apr-21 |
Western Australia put the program on the national agenda, with the Premier writing to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Transport raising the issue at national meetings, while many State Members of Parliament wrote to their Federal counterparts calling for the funding.
For the first time, the Commonwealth Government has allocated $80 million to the program in 2020-21, with the State Government contributing its annual $20 million.
The program will be delivered immediately in 2020-21 and will see around 1,400 kilometres of roads treated, with shoulder sealing and audible edge lines being installed in every region of Western Australia.
These treatments greatly reduce the number of ‘run off road’ crashes, which can result in severe trauma and are more common in regional areas. Modelling undertaken using roads where the same safety treatments have been introduced shows the strategy could reduce road trauma in regional WA by 60 per cent.
The project will provide a much needed boost to local economies, creating local job opportunities for shovel-ready road projects.
The State Government will continue to campaign for the Commonwealth to allocate funding for an additional eight years of the program, which if funded, would see more than 17,400 kilometres of regional road upgraded with low cost treatments.
These regional road safety works build on the McGowan Government’s transport infrastructure building program where up to $100 million is being spent in the regions monthly.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
“Rolling out important road safety treatments across the State is vital in being able to potentially save hundreds of lives.
“As my Government embarks on an unprecedented transport infrastructure building program, we’re also working in tandem to ensure current road infrastructure is reviewed and maintained to make them safer.
“These regional road safety works in the South-West not only help to keep people safer on roads, they also support a pipeline of work, securing jobs and provide a boost to the regions.
“The South-West is a hotspot for visitors and residents alike so it’s vital that as we have more people travelling on roads we maintain them and make them easier to navigate and safer to use.”
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
“The significance of this initiative cannot be overstated. Over a period of nine years we are aiming to upgrade 17,400km of regional road – the equivalent distance of driving between Albany and Broome about seven times.
“Single vehicle run-off crashes are a major cause of regional road trauma and the scale of this program is a huge step towards preventing deaths or serious injury on our road network.
“The McGowan Government has worked hard to negotiate this partnership with the Federal Government and I would like to recognise the hard work undertaken by Main Roads in providing the analysis and submission for this program.
“This is a landmark program for our State that is expected to save hundreds of lives in our regions while creating and supporting local jobs.
“I’m pleased to see works underway in the South-West region.”
As stated by Road Safety Minister Michelle Roberts:
“The South-West has long suffered from a disproportionate number of deaths and serious injuries from road crashes.
“The vast majority of these crashes have been as a result of simple mistakes and single vehicle run offs.
“That’s why these treatments, like sealing the road shoulders and installing audible edge lining will make a huge difference.
“These are also some of the rural roads used most by Western Australians, both for commerce and for recreation.
“Every year we’ve devoted a significant portion of the RTTA budget to making these sorts of safety treatments to our regional roads.
“I’m pleased we’ve been able to negotiate this partnership with the Commonwealth to accelerate these works and hopefully prevent more trauma on our roads.”
