Our Operational Performance

4,000 vehicles can now use Willinge Drive every day

State Development

Case Study

Bunbury Port Access Project: Improving Heavy Vehicle Access

Officially opened on 31 May 2013 by Transport Minister Troy Buswell and Federal Labor Senator Sue Lines, Stage Two of this $170 million project provides a significant improvement in road and port infrastructure in the State’s South West region. There is now better access to the Bunbury Port for heavy vehicles as trucks bypass congested sections of the existing road network around Bunbury.

Feedback from the transport industry has been that this project has made a major difference to daily commuting.

The project involved the construction of the seven kilometre long Willinge Drive (Bunbury Port Access Road) between Estuary Drive and the Bunbury Outer Ring Road, together with a four kilometre section of the Ring Road between South Western Highway and the Boyanup Picton Road. This jointly funded project expects that around 4,000 vehicles will now use the Willinge Drive per day.

This section of the network will service the developing industrial areas to the south east of Bunbury, improving inter-connectivity to the industrial areas while also providing direct access to these areas from inter-regional roads.

A major safety feature in this construction process was building roundabouts at major junctions of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road with South Western Highway and Willinge Drive, rather than conventional signalised four-way intersections. At the moment, Willinge Drive is a two-lane road with capacity for the southern section to be upgraded to a four-lane dual carriageway. Consideration has also been made for other future upgrade options.

This project will deliver increased efficiency, safety and additional capacity in the regional road network servicing Bunbury and the Bunbury Port. It will also improve the amenity of residential areas by redirecting heavy vehicles away from developed areas.