A Shire of Murray campaign to lobby the government to build a Pinjarra Heavy Haulage Deviation is under way, with Shire President David Bolt and chief executive Dean Unsworth meeting federal infrastructure and transport minister Darren Chester and Canning MP Andrew Hastie.
The council voted on November 9 to support the Pinjarra Heavy Haulage Deviation proposal as well as to lobby the state and Commonwealth governments for funding.
Council’s vote followed the results of the Pinjarra Heavy Haulage Deviation Referendum coordinated as part of the 2017 Local Government Election, which saw 84 per cent of respondents vote in favour of the proposal.
The team from the Shire of Murray were joined by Darling Range MP Barry Urban and Serpentine-Jarrahdale Shire President Michelle Rich who were lobbying for the Tonkin Highway extension which would eventually link-in with the deviation.
Council supported the design of the full deviation alignment, to allow the extent of works to be assessed by Main Roads WA to assist with its analysis of a staged approach.
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Council prioritised the construction of the extension of Munday Avenue, in light of the project’s potential to significantly improve access to the Pinjarra Industrial Area via Greenlands Road, away from the town centre and Pinjarra Road.
Council further supported the downgrade of Pinjarra Road to accommodate improved amenity within the town centre and progress works proposed as part of the Pinjarra Streetscape and Revitalisation planning.
Technical and Community Groups would be established as part of the project to ensure the best outcome is achieved for the community and its members.
A masterplan was in development through engagement with Pinjarra Lion’s Club to address a proposed loss of amenity at Lions Park.
An Entry Statement and Signage Strategy for the approach to the town centre will be developed to meet the needs of the business sector.
The Shire of Murray has been advocating for the deviation since 2004.
The initial project (Stage One - Interim Stage) proposes to link South Western Highway to Pinjarra-Williams Road to create an ‘inner’ deviation road.
Works would include a new road extension between Pinjarra-Williams Road to the South Western Highway/Greenlands Road roundabout and associated intersection upgrades.
Works would also entail significant upgrades to Pinjarra-Williams Road from the town centre to the new road extension and at the intersection of South Western Highway/Pinjarra-Williams Road/Paterson Road resulting in land take from Lions Park.
Munday Avenue would be extended to Greenlands Road.
Subsequent stages (Stage Two) propose further extension to the east of the town to link back to South Western Highway north of Carcoola Avenue at North Pinjarra.
The project would connect South Western Highway north of Pinjarra with South Western Highway and Forrest Highway via Greenlands Road, south of Pinjarra.
The deviation road would ultimately connect to the Tonkin Highway, completing one of the major north-south transport spines of the greater Perth metropolitan area, particularly for road freight.
The road would further provide a seamless connection to the Forrest Highway and South Western Highway to the south and to Tonkin Highway and the Perth-Darwin Highway to the north.
According to Mr Bolt, ongoing engagement has enabled the project to remain a priority within the transport and regional ministerial areas, with the referendum outcome and additional community support for the project, adding further focus.
“It is more than likely that the staged approach will be the preferred delivery method,” he said.
“The deviation would have taken place with or without Council’s support but through proactive liaison with Main Roads WA, the community has a strong voice in the project planning.
“While the full deviation is Council’s ultimate goal, Stage One needs to progress, to ensure the inner deviation is in place before George Street reaches capacity in five years time.
“Council is aware of the community’s concerns regarding the impact of increased heavy haulage traffic on Pinjarra-Williams Road but assures the community, that through engagement with Main Roads WA the road will be significantly upgraded to a standard that maximises safety and mitigates amenity impacts for residents.”
