A $24 million contract has been awarded that will get works underway to upgrade an 11-kilometre section of Great Eastern Highway between Southern Cross and Ghooli, southwest of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
This contract award is part of the broader $250 million Great Eastern Highway Upgrade program that will deliver improvements to several sections of the highway through the Wheatbelt and Goldfields-Esperance regions.
“The Australian Government is committed to ensuring a reliable, safe and efficient transport link between Perth and Kalgoorlie, and this project is an important step in that journey.
“We’re proud to be partnering with the Western Australian Government to improve the Great Eastern Highway, section by section, to ensure safe and reliable transport access for residents, freight movements and tourists,” Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King said.
“We are working with the Western Australian Government to invest in and upgrade the Great Eastern Highway, which is vital for essential, industry and tourism travel between Kalgoorlie and Perth.
“This crucial investment by the Australian and Western Australian Governments will improve road safety and help to ensure that more efficient freight travel becomes a reality on one of WA’s most significant highways,” Senator for Western Australia Varun Ghosh said.
The overall program of works includes overtaking lanes, intersection improvements, bridge replacement, road widening and shoulder sealing. Scope of works on the 11-kilometre section between Southern Cross and Ghooli, on the other hand, includes realignment, reconstruction, overlay and widening of the highway to 11 metres.
Meanwhile, other works on Great Eastern Highway continue to forge ahead, including:
The staged upgrade of Great Eastern Highway will continue until 2028.
“Great Eastern Highway is a vital freight link for Western Australians, which is why this extensive program of upgrades is so critical.
“In the past few years, we’ve also upgraded 193 kilometres of Great Eastern Highway in the Wheatbelt including shoulder sealing between Northam and Walgoolan, upgrades between Carrabin and Bodallin and replaced four bridges in Coates Gully in the Shire of Northam,” WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said.
“Our Government recognises the importance of improving the safety of Great Eastern Highway, which is why we continue to invest in upgrades.
“Kalgoorlie residents drive this route daily when travelling to and from Perth, so delivering these upgrades is of the utmost importance to our community,” State Member for Kalgoorlie Ali Kent said.
Source: Government of Western Australia – Media Statements; Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government; Main Roads Western Australia; Roads & Infrastructure Australia; Big Rigs