Major upgrades to the Great Eastern Highway in WA continue to surge ahead with a $24 million contract awarded for works on an 11-kilometre section of the road between Southern Cross and Ghooli, southwest of Kalgoorlie.
The contract award is part of the broader $250 million Great Eastern Highway Upgrade program, which is delivering improvements to various sections of the Highway through the Wheatbelt and Goldfields-Esperance regions.
The upgrades include overtaking lanes, intersection improvements, bridge replacement, road widening and shoulder sealing while work on the 11-kilometre section between Southern Cross and Ghooli will include realignment, reconstruction, overlay and widening of the Highway to 11 metres.
The contract award comes as other major works on the Great Eastern Highway continue, including:
- Widening of 15 kilometres of highway around Bodallin and the construction of a new two-kilometre passing lane
- Widening the road near Moorine Rock Bridge with sealing and new guardrails being installed
- Intersection upgrades and widening of Parker Range Road have also begun with completion expected mid-2024.
The staged upgrade program will continue along the Highway until 2028.
Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said the Australian Government was committed to ensuring a reliable, safe and efficient transport link between Perth and Kalgoorlie, and this project was 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,” she said.
WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the Great Eastern Highway was a vital freight link for Western Australians, which is why this extensive program of upgrades was 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,” she said.
“We’ve also recently opened the new Walgoolan Bridge, which is another important achievement.
“Our Government remains committed to upgrading and improving the regional road network, for all road users.”