Wheatbelt Secondary Freight Network project on the move

An ambitious plan to upgrade 4400km of the Wheatbelt’s most important agricultural freight route roads by 2035 is about to kick into high gear, with plans to launch 12 road projects worth a total $20 million next year. Countryman can today reveal the 12 road projects — worth $110,000 to $3.91 million — cherrypicked to be completed across 10 shires throughout the second year of the Wheatbelt Secondary Freight Network’s upgrade program. The biggest of the 2021 projects involves reconstructing and widening 7.66km along the Orange Springs Road within the Shire of Gingin, at a cost of $3.91 million, while the smallest involves spending $110,000 to install 39km of white lines along Watheroo Road in the Shire of Dandaragan. WSFN chair Katrina Crute, who is also the Shire of Brookton president, said it was exciting to see the project take shape after nearly five years of collaboration between 42 shires. “It is exciting that the Federal and State governments have seen value in this important project,” she said. Most of the projects involve reconstructing and widening existing roads in the Shires of Dandaragan, Moora, Dalwallinu, Gingin, Victoria Plains, Goomalling, Cunderdin, Quairading, Merredin and Narembeen, but $150,000 will also be spent replacing and widening a culvert along the Goomalling-Calingiri Road in the Shire of Goomalling. Two projects around $2 million each will see nearly 10km of the Jurien East Road in the Shire of Dandaragan and 6.7km of Merredin-Narembeen Road in the Shire of Narembeen upgraded. The next-biggest project involves upgrading 6.88km of Merredin-Narembeen Road in the Shire of Merredin at a cost of $1.58 million. Two projects costing $1.38 million each involve upgrading 6km of Bell Road in the Shire of Dalwallinu and 6km of the Meckering-Goomalling Road in the Shire of Cunderdin. A further $1.37 million will be spent on 3.45km of the Goomalling-Calingiri Road in the Shire of Goomalling. Watheroo West Road in the Shire of Moora is also in for a 4km, $1 million upgrade, while $890,000 will be spent 5.19km of the Mogumber-Yarawindah Road in the Shire of Victoria Plains. A total $310,000 will be spent upgrading 4.92km of Cunderdin-Quairading Road in the Shire of Quairading. The local government-driven WSFN involves upgrading 80 connecting routes used to cart agricultural freight, including lime and grain, at a cost of $500 million over 15 years. The group has $187.5 million of its $500 million target, including in $150 Federal funding, $29 million from the State Government, and $8 million from various WA local governments. While the project needs another $313 million, Ms Crute said the $187 million would give the group enough funding to complete the first 1000km or so across the next few years. The project has the support of 42 local governments, which all contributed about $6000 to help fund project management and planning works. WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the projects would improve the Wheatbelt’s crucial transport supply chains, assisting this key agricultural area to grow, and complemented the State’s Revitalising Agricultural Region Freight Strategy and its work to develop an Infrastructure Australia business case to support investment in the WA agricultural supply chain. O’Connor MP Rick Wilson said making transport hubs easier to reach would have a huge impact on the agriculture sector in WA. WSFN Projects 2020-21 Shire of Dandaragan Shire of Moora Shire of Dalwallinu Shire of Gingin Shire of Victoria Plains Shire of Goomalling Shire of Cunderdin Shire of Quairading Shire of Merredin Shire of Narembeen