Wilman Wadandi Highway to open, WA Government promises city folk will save 20 minutes on drives down south

Perth holidaymakers making their way to the South West over the festive season should get to popular holiday spots 20 minutes earlier, with a new $1.46 billion highway finally opening on Sunday.

Premier Roger Cook and Transport Minister Rita Saffioti will cut the ribbon on the 27km, four-lane Wilman Wadandi Highway which connects Forrest Highway north of Bunbury to Bussell Highway south of Bunbury.

Drivers to areas like Busselton, Dunsborough and Margaret River will now avoid 13 sets of traffic lights by using the new highway.

“This highway is the biggest road project ever delivered in the South West,” Premier Roger Cook said.

“It will slash congestion in Bunbury, improve road safety and transform the journey down south for Perth residents.

“Our WA Labor Government is delivering the critical infrastructure our regions need for the future.

“I want to thank the thousands of workers that have delivered this important project, which I know will make a real difference for residents, commuters and travellers in our regions.”

Formerly known as the Bunbury Outer Ring Road project, the new highway has been jointly funder by the Commonwealth ($1.1 billion) and WA Government ($356.7 million).

Contracts for construction of the highway were signed in 2020, with work starting in 2021.

The original budget for the project was $850m and has ballooned out to $1.4b.

The State’s contribution was originally $170m and has been upped to $356.7m.

The Commonwealth’s original contribution was put at $682 million.

The pandemic and associated labour and construction shortages have been blamed for the bypass’ cost going $600m over budget.

The new road includes five bridges, four grade-separated interchanges and 19 fauna crossings.

The Government says 4500 jobs were created during the construction phase, with more than $558m spent on South West businesses and $54m on Aboriginal businesses.

“This is another example of our Government delivering infrastructure projects that drive our economy, create jobs for thousands of West Australians and set our State up for the future,” Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said.

“We’ve seen significant growth around Bunbury and the clash of local traffic, with tourist and freight traffic heading to the South West was no longer sustainable.

“The Wilman Wadandi Highway will reduce congestion on local Bunbury roads and make the commute to and from the South West around 20 minutes faster for thousands of motorists every day.

“This is the biggest road project we have delivered in the South West and will ensure our road network remains safe, efficient and reliable for many decades to come.”