Bunbury Outer Ring Road time savings won’t be felt until next year as road works continue on Bussell Highway

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Bunbury Outer Ring Road time savings won’t be felt until next year as road works continue on Bussell Highway

Travellers to the South West won’t benefit from the time savings from the Bunbury Outer Ring Road until the multi-lane Bussell Highway redevelopment is completed part way through next year.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said those using the Wilman Wadandi Highway to travel south will save 20 minutes on their journey with the road which now connects Forrest Highway north of Bunbury to Bussell Highway — currently a single-lane road — near Gelorup.

“The full savings on time will be realised when the Bussell Highway is duplicated, but in the meantime, traveling through this section will save you 20 minutes,” Ms Saffioti said.

“Our aspiration is to open the Bussell Highway duplication as soon as possible — we’re targeting the first quarter of next year, but in the meantime, this BORR will still allow some time savings, in particular, dispersing traffic through the South West early as well.

“A lot of traffic has been going through into the Bussell Highway, this will allow it to disperse traffic and also save a lot of time.”

Ms Saffioti was joined by Premier Roger Cook and WA Senator Louise Pratt on Sunday morning to officially open the Wilman Wadandi Highway, which will welcome traffic from Monday morning.

It promises to make the journey between Perth and the South West 20 minutes quicker, saving 13 traffic light stops and diverting around 15,000 cars from Bunbury roads each day.

Camera IconTransport Minister Rita Saffioti said those using the Wilman Wadandi Highway to travel south will save 20 minutes on their journey with the road which now connects Forrest Highway north of Bunbury to Bussell Highway — currently a single-lane road — near Gelorup.  Credit: Amber Lilley/South Western/South Western

Despite each of the 27 kilometres costing $52 million per kilometre, and concerns for local business who may lose revenue from travellers stopping in Bunbury, Ms Saffioti backed the project.

“This has been a much wanted project, and the reality is. This is a project that will stand the test of time, and importantly, one of the things that this really does is allow Bunbury to grow,” she said.

“Someone like the (Bunbury) Farmer’s Market, for example, went and built another Farmer’s Market on the new alignment, so some businesses have already taken opportunity to, in a sense, grab the new traffic from the new route.

“The reality is if there’s too much congestion, people don’t stop. When you’re able to move around more freely, people are more likely to come in and visit your local businesses.

“When people are stuck on the road and in heavy congestion, waiting at traffic lights, all they can think about is how to get to their destination. If you’re letting the traffic flow freely, more people are more likely to come in to your business and go into Bunbury.”

Mr Cook said the project would get cars off Bunbury roads, making it easier for locals to travel within their home towns as freight and tourists utilise the ring road.

Camera IconTransport Minister Rita Saffioti and Premier Roger Cook opened the Bunbury Outer Ring Road with state and federal colleagues, and construction workers. Credit: Amber Lilley/South Western/South Western

“It doesn’t matter where you look, you can see the state being changed forever as a result of our great investments,” he said.

“Everywhere you look across the state, our infrastructure investment is transforming communities, creating jobs and setting our future, improving our economy.

“This will open tomorrow, so it’s just in time for the school holidays. It’s a great way that people can move in and around the South West region, but it’s also an important arterial route throughout road transport, which moves thousands of truck movements literally every day.”

The project was joint funded by the State and Federal Government, giving $356.7m and $1.1 billion respectively.

Federal member for Forrest Nola Marino said opening the road just months before she ends her career in politics was a full-circle moment after starting her 17 year stint in Canberra with the road on her agenda.

“This has been a project that has absorbed me since becoming the local federal member for Forrest, and I’m just so pleased to see it finally done,” she said

“It’s been a long time coming, but I hope now that people will understand, once they start using this, how much this is adding to the local community.

Camera IconTransport Minister Rita Saffioti and Premier Roger Cook with South West locals, celebrating the Bunbury Outer Ring Road opening. Credit: Amber Lilley/South Western/South Western

Senator Louise Pratt said the Commonwealth had “done the heavy lifting” majority funding the project, but commended the State Government for their work.

“This project opens in time for the school holiday rush south, but more importantly, it also provides significant benefits for locals,” she said.

“It means separation of freight from local traffic. It also makes an easier route for goods to get to the Bunbury Port.

“We’re hoping for a bumper grain crop this year, some of which, of course, comes through the Bunbury port so that separation of traffic is incredibly important, particularly while we look to the South West to play a growing economic role in our state.”

The Wilman Wadandi Highway opens on Monday, but smaller local roads, tree planting and finishing works are yet to be completed.

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