Hope for risky Albany roundabout

Main Roads is confident the long-awaited construction of the final stages of the Albany Ring Road will lead to the Chester Pass roundabout not featuring among the riskiest intersections in the State.

The Albany Highway-South Coast Highway intersection which includes the Chester Pass roundabout has been voted the riskiest in regional WA for the first time after the RAC annual Risky Roads survey.

In the survey of 6000 motorists, respondents pointed to the intersection’s “confusing layout” and difficulty in crossing traffic as key reasons behind its place at the top.

Three of the riskiest regional intersections come from the Great Southern with the Formby Road South and Gnowangerup-Jerramungup Road intersection in Jackitup voted the seventh worst and the Albany Highway-West Beattie Road intersection in Kendenup eighth worst.

The release of the latest survey results comes only weeks after the Federal Government’s Budget commitment of $140 million to completing the Albany Ring Road designed to take heavy-haulage traffic off residential roads and away from the Chester Pass roundabout.

Main Roads Great Southern regional manager Andrew Duffield said he was not surprised the intersection was ranked as the riskiest because of the amount of car movements per day and tourist activity in Albany.

He said there was potential to realign the intersection further north along Albany Highway from the roundabout.

“That will be a consideration certainly when the ring road is complete, modifying that intersection, that is on the cards,” he said.

Mr Duffield said the roundabout had an average of 50,000 car movements a day. He was “quite confident” the completion of the Albany Ring Road would go ahead and achieve the desired outcome of reducing traffic.

In the past five years there have been 198 crashes on the Chester Pass roundabout, Main Roads figures show.

RAC general manager corporate affairs Will Golsby said the future Albany Ring Road project could hinge on the result of the Federal election next month.

“We would like to see Labor outline that they will fund this because if it is not, and there is danger if there is a change of government, that this project may or may not go ahead and that is definitely a concern for us,” he said.

Mr Duffield said Main Roads was working with the Shire of Gnowangerup to improve the Formby Road South and Gnowangerup-Jerramungup Road intersection and was aware of the issues at the Albany Highway-West Beattie Road intersection in Kendenup.