Des Snook
Acting Managing Director of Main Roads
Transport is essential to Western Australia and we continue to provide connections for our communities, jobs and services, and opportunities for our economy to grow. Over the past 12 months we have continued to focus on delivering integrated transport networks, enabling safe and connected journeys for all Western Australians.
We deliver more than just a road network. Our infrastructure investments build and grow communities around them and the range of services we deliver provide valuable connections to goods and services, education, family, friends, and tourism.
Building for tomorrow
This year we once again set a record, investing more than $3.2 billion in the road network as we continued to oversee more than 345 active contracts valued at $10.9 billion. Building an integrated transport system is our priority, and as part of this commitment, we want our road network and the services we provide our customers to meet their needs no matter where they live or do business.
Our roads are a key part of a multi-modal transport network making a valuable contribution to Western Australia's economy, the future of our state and, morebroadly, the nation. We continue to expand our road network to improve safety and efficiency along some of the state's most important corridors, making it easier, safer, and simpler for Western Australians and visitors to travel and explore our state.
The first of seven kilometres of the new section of Great Northern Highway between Calingiri Road and Seven Mile Hill opened this year as part of the Bindoon Bypass project. Works have begun on the final six kilometres of the Albany Ring Road, Phase 2 of the Stephenson Avenue Extension, and the $386.5 million Great Eastern Highway Bypass Interchange project.
Work on the Leach Highway - Welshpool Road Interchange project is progressing, with 16 bridge beams, each weighing 165 tonnes, recently lifted into place. We have upgraded Redcliffe Bridge to accommodate eight lanes of traffic and built a new western bridge with two additional lanes as part of Tonkin Gap works. We have also made further improvements to our Intelligent Transport Systems on the Kwinana Smart Freeway to improve user experience, decrease congestion and improve safety.
Our cycle paths are making riding easier and safer across our network. Completion of Kwinana Freeway Pedestrian and Cyclist Path from Leach Highway to Mount Henry Bridge now provides a 74-kilometre continuous link between Perth and Mandurah for the growing numbers of riders and walkers within our community to enjoy.
Our investment in transport infrastructure, maintenance and upgrades has helped many Western Australians get back to work while boosting our economy. I have highlighted above only a small portion completed and continuing work. You can find much more information on these and other projects within this report and on our website.
Strengthening our regions
I am very pleased that in April the government announced that road maintenance and some minor capital works would return to being delivered by road crews, supervisors and managers employed by Main Roads.
This initiative will see 660 new employees join us over the next few years, 490 in regional Western Australia and 170 in the Metropolitan Region. In-house delivery of routine road maintenance and some minor capital works will build our skills and knowledge, while we become a more informed purchaser.
We will be offering roles to local people while also actively working to attract people to live and work in regional WA. We will be encouraging local spending through increased direct engagement of local businesses and take this opportunity to build on and create great local community connections. A lot of work is being done now to prepare for the first transition of these services in our Wheatbelt and Mid West-Gascoyne regions in October and November 2022 respectively. The final roll-out will be in Kimberley Region in January 2026. We have long recognised the importance of building skills and knowledge to encourage more growth across our state. Through our Infrastructure Ready Skills program, we are working with key industry partners and the education sector to promote roles to Aboriginal people, and young and female jobseekers.
Our major infrastructure projects offer even more opportunities for Aboriginal people and businesses, including the Bunbury Outer Ring Road project, which has so far invested $14.9 million into Aboriginal businesses and provided support to Aboriginal people through the Yaka Dandjoo program. The program is designed to provide unemployed participants with life skills and on-the-job mentoring to help build sustainable careers within the construction industry.
We made one of the biggest contributions towards the growth of contracts awarded to registered Aboriginal businesses. We significantly exceeded the three percent target with our results coming in at 12 per cent compared to the states' overall result of 6.5 per cent. The development of our Aboriginal Business Directory is expected to further increase these results in future. This new directory will support our focus on creating and sustaining opportunities for Aboriginal people and businesses.
Improving safety on our network and worksites
Across the state more than $518 million in works have been delivered as part of the Regional Road Safety Program upgrading almost 7,000 kilometres of regional roads to significantly reduce the crash rate. We are continuing to deliver this important program, that when completed will result in 60 per cent of the state's regional road network upgraded with one-meter-wide bitumen sealed shoulders which have been proven to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes.
The construction industry had the second highest number of work-related fatalities in the period from 2011 to 2021. For a given hour worked, a person in the construction industry has 1.4 times the average risk across all industries of a work-related fatality. The 2022 WA Transport Works Safety Forum brought together 200 people from across the construction industry to raise awareness of these issues.
While our own Lost-Time Injury rate continues to be low, it was timely to look at approaches around temporary traffic management, creating a culture of good mental health, improving safety in design and openly discussing the challenges associated with delivering in a resource constrained market.
Looking ahead
Our population is growing, and Western Australia needs a transport system that can service more and different journeys, meet changing travel patterns of the community, and innovate and take advantage of sustainable and new technologies. This year provided a range of challenges. Over the next 12 months, we will continue to adapt to this challenging environment and create opportunities across the state for further growth. We are developing transformative technology that will improve customer experience and deliver easier, safer, and simpler connections for everyone using our network.
Construction will continue with exciting milestones across the Tonkin Gap and Leach Highway - Welshpool Road Interchange project in the coming months. Investment in our productivity and resilience continues as part of the $50 million Freight Vehicle Productivity Improvement Program meaning critical logistic routes will be supported and rest areas will be upgraded across 13 priority locations in our regions. The next round of our State Black Spot Program has been released, which will see 83 upgrades and safety improvements made to roads across the state. This includes 50 projects on metropolitan roads and 33 projects on regional roads.
While delivery of these major infrastructure projects is a priority, we will continue to develop innovative solutions to support our customers' changing needs and support our communities through greater connections and services. I acknowledge the work done by Corporate Executive this year as we met the challenges of COVID-19 and delivered our $3.2 billion program. I have appreciated the opportunity to lead a team dedicated to Keeping WA Moving, and I look forward to the future and greater opportunities ahead for Main Roads.
Des Snook
Acting Managing Director of Main Roads