State Government stands by Bunbury Outer Ring Road

The State Government has stood by its decisions on the Bunbury Outer Ring Road’s scope and cost, after Shadow Transport Minister Shane Love accused them of “spending $1.25 billion for a suburban road”. Mr Love made the comments in Parliament in June as he called for more transparency on the project, which will be WA’s most expensive piece of road infrastructure. He said the 27km free-flowing highway project had faced massive cost blowouts yet it had been radically reduced in scope. “The massive budget blowout has seen the project go from $852 million when it was first announced in 2018 to now costing $1.25 billion,” Mr Love said. “To make matters worse, four roundabouts will replace flyovers, meaning the project will now be 27 kilometres of standard road rather than 27km of freeway.” But a State Government spokesperson said the project would still deliver on a highway that would allow road users to bypass 13 sets of traffic lights. “The increased investment and adjustment to the project scope followed an independent cost review into the project undertaken by the former Federal government, reflecting the realities of delivering a significant infrastructure project in the current cost environment,” the spokesperson said. “For example, diesel, bitumen, pre-cast concrete and reinforcement have seen increases from 20 up to 60 per cent in some instances, and there have been significant increases in labour and plant hire. “The project will continue to deliver significant safety and efficiency benefits for the South West and a significant portion of the extra funding will be spent in the region, creating further employment and business opportunities. “So far, we have invested $147.6 million into local businesses and $14.9 million into Aboriginal businesses, with more opportunities available.” The Southern Section of the BORR received final environmental approval at a State level on May 31. The next stage of approvals need to come from the Federal level, through the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment.