Community Engagement Key to Project

The Great Northern Highway Muchea to Wubin project is a program of construction packages improving road safety, freight efficiency, and access and amenity for road users and local communities.

Great Northern Highway is a strategic freight link between Perth and the state’s north and forms part of the National Highway Network.

Upgrades from Muchea to Wubin resulted in significant improvements to road safety, freight efficiency, travel time, access, roadside amenity and environmental value of roadsides.

Jointly funded by the Australian Government and the Western Australian Government, the combined $416.9 million project was planned, designed and delivered by an integrated project team from Main Roads, Jacobs and Arup.

Commencing in 2013, eight construction packages were delivered along a 218-kilometre section of Great Northern Highway from Muchea to Wubin. This includes two separately funded projects for the Bindi Bindi Curves and a bypass of New Norcia. The final construction package will be complete in mid-2020.

The upgrades include town bypasses, wider roads, additional passing lanes, improved geometry, safer roadsides, more rest stops and additional facilities for heavy vehicles. Planning, land acquisition and environmental assessment for the Bindoon Bypass was also included in the project.

Stakeholder and community engagement played a major part in the success of the project, delivering benefits for local towns and communities. The project team worked closely with the Benedictine Community in the monastic town of New Norcia to plan and deliver the bypass which allows heavy vehicles to avoid the centre of town and protect this historic precinct.

The Pithara package of works saw our first ever NEC3 contract awarded. The NEC3 form of contract focuses on ‘real-time’ management of the project. It promotes good relationships and payment provisions are partly based on collaborative contracting principles.

Across the whole program, Aboriginal participation was a focus. On the Muchea North package of works, the lead contractor entered into an incentivised subcontract arrangement with a joint venture of Aboriginal businesses to deliver a large component of the works. This increased Aboriginal participation, employment and development opportunities.