Cost of long-awaited Bussell Highway duplication in WA's South West doubles to $170m
The single-lane stretch of Bussell Highway between Capel and Busselton has long been a traffic bottleneck, particularly during holidays and long weekends when tens of thousands of tourists make the 200-kilometre drive south from Perth.
Sold as a solution to those frustrations, duplicating the highway has also come at double the initial projected cost, according to figures revealed during budget estimates hearings last week.
The major road project has dragged on despite the Cook government promising its completion by the end of 2024.
A Main Roads spokesperson said some short-term traffic management may remain in place, but the majority of work was now complete.
However, months of delays and many millions in additional spending have left some locals pondering whether it was worth the cash and time.
Capel resident Corrie Young said she was unimpressed with the final product.
She regularly uses the road to drive in and out of Busselton.
"I'm not very happy with it at all," she said.
Ms Young said the last few years had been "terrible" as construction on the road had dragged on, leaving many drivers frustrated over lane closures and speed reductions.
Others were more positive.
"It's fantastic, I can just zip down from the farm to Busselton. It's flat, it's smooth, it's quick," commuter Steve Jones said.
In WA's Legislative Council estimates last week, Transport Minister Rita Saffioti blamed the price escalation on rising construction costs around the world.
"I am very proud that we have delivered the Bussell Highway duplication," she said.
"It was not an election commitment, but I was very determined to get it done, and we did it through negotiations with the Commonwealth."
The Bussell Highway duplication is not the only road project that has blown out in WA's south.
The cost of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road that opened late last year — now the Wilman Wadandi Highway — swelled to $1.46 billion, more than $600 million over what was initially estimated.
Questions also remain around the overall benefit delivered by both projects.
Curtin University researcher and former Infrastructure Australia board member Peter Newman said the development, while popular, came at the cost of alternatives.
"Both of them are extraordinarily over-designed … in my view, they take up a massive amount of space," Professor Newman said.
He believed the money would be better spent on electric public transport links to the South West region.
"These [ideas] are not ever getting onto the agenda because of the massive amount of money that is being spent on these kinds of [road] projects."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
7 hours ago
- ABC News
Rescue underway after child falls into Dales Gorge in Karijini National Park
Emergency services are working to rescue a young child who fell into a gorge in Western Australia's Karijini National Park. It is understood the child fell at the popular Dales Gorge swimming spot. Authorities were alerted shortly before midday. A Department of Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson told the ABC a carry-out rescue operation was underway. Emergency Service volunteers from Tom Price State and Fire and Rescue Service personnel are assisting with the rescue. St John WA was not able to confirm specific injuries or the age of the child. More than 30,000 tourists visit Karijini National Park between June and August every year, according to the Tom Price Visitor Centre. Dales Gorge is considered one of the most popular and accessible gorges in the park. Dales Gorge and adjacent pools and trails are closed until further notice.
ABC News
10 hours ago
- ABC News
Geraldton set to host World Junior Windsurfing Championship grand final
Some of the world's best young windsurfers are set to hit the waves on one of the windiest stretches of the West Australian coastline. Geraldton, 400 kilometres north of Perth, will host the World Wave grand final of the Junior World Windsurfing Championships in January — the first time the event will be held outside Europe. Competitors from around the world will take to the waves from January 10–18. World Wave Tour director Simeon Glasson said it was a landmark moment for the sport. "Bringing the grand final to Western Australia reflects our global vision for youth windsurfing and highlights Geraldton's world-class wind and wave conditions," he said. Western Australia had seven junior windsurfers who finished in the world's top 10 rankings in 2024. Geraldton Windsurfing Club president Peter Kenyon said securing the event was a huge coup for the town. "It's amazing; to wrestle it from the European circuit is a big achievement in itself," he said. "In the past couple of years, we've actually had a real increase in events in Geraldton. "It's really great to help the local community and windsurfing community to display what we've got." Depending on conditions, heats will be held across Sunset Beach, Spot X (Oakajee), or Coronation Beach. With the cost of travelling to Europe to compete, Mr Kenyon said the event being held locally would be a huge boost for home-grown competitors. "Having the under-18 world titles in Geraldton allows the Australian kids to compete," he said. "The event quite often has been in Europe, and the cost of travel to Europe is quite expensive, and for most of us, that is outside our budget. "It's showcasing the local talent in Geraldton and it gives our juniors an opportunity to compete without having to travel overseas." Mr Kenyon's daughter, Sarah, followed her father and family friends into the sport and is ranked number one in junior girls on the World Wave Tour. Sarah said it would be a special moment to compete at home. "It means a lot to me," she said. "I get to compete somewhere where I've been training so much and just to use those conditions to my advantage is pretty cool as well." Much like a football or a cricket team might experience a home-field advantage at their regular ground, Sarah said riding her home waves would be a big boost too. "I just know where to position myself and everything like that," she said. "And also, just because we have such great waves it will be so cool to make the most of them."
ABC News
10 hours ago
- ABC News
WA government says Crown Perth a 'suitable entity' to operate casino, three years on from royal commission
Crown Perth has been handed a lifeline by the state government and will keep its gaming licence without penalty or conditions, three years after a Royal Commission found it unfit to hold a licence in WA. The future of the state's only casino has been in the hands of the government since the final report of the Perth Casino Royal Commission was tabled in state parliament in 2022. "I have found on advice from the Gaming and Wagering Commission, that Crown Perth is a suitable entity for operating a casino without any conditions or penalties," Racing and Gaming Minister Paul Papalia said. The royal commission identified a series of failures by Crown Resorts in Perth, including facilitating money laundering, permitting criminal junkets to operate at the casino and failing to minimise casino gambling-related harm. But the commission stopped short of calling for Crown to be stripped of its licence. Instead, an independent monitor oversaw remediation activity at Crown for more than two years and handed its final report to the government in January. It was one of 59 recommendations for the government to consider in the 1,000-page report. So far, 32 have been completed, with 18 remaining to be implemented and a further nine waiting on legislative change to be enacted. Mr Papalia had the power to remove Crown's license, apply a penalty of up to $100 million or enact strict conditions, but decided against any action. When questioned whether Crown got off "scot-free", Mr Papalia said the remediation work has been enough. "To say that there's not been any impost on them is not correct," he said. "They have comprehensively changed their practices, they've had to implement new procedures, buy new equipment, apply new methods to ensure that they are complying with the recommendations. "There are practices and procedures in place to address anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist funding measures that are required and also further measures to reduce the harm from gambling." The royal commission also identified "numerous deficiencies" in WA's gaming regulator, the Gaming and Wagering Commission (GWC). The list of recommendations made to the GWC included increasing penalties for regulatory offences and improving staffing and resourcing. GWC Chair Gary Dreibergs said they now have more senior investigators and compliance officers. "We now have a greater structure than we had previously," he said. The GWC also issued directions to Crown to establish an electronic gaming machine scheme aimed at minimising gambling harm. "True and embedded cultural change for any organisation like Crown Perth takes longer than two-and-a-half years," Mr Dreibergs said. "We believe Crown can sustainably operate and embed those changes in the long term." Crown Resorts agreed to an $8.9 billion takeover by private equity firm Blackstone in 2022. Chair of Crown Resorts Perth John Van Der Wielen said the new ownership has been pivotal to improving oversight on criminal activity occurring under Crown's roof. "They took on Crown knowing the issue and we knew how much it would take to fix and I think we're there," he said. "I'm very confident now with the new independent board, completely new management team and being owned by the world's largest investor … we have the right moral compass in place."
