No short cuts on HORROR HIGHWAY

• General News
• 7th January 2013

In September the TWU wrote to both state and federal transport ministers seeking urgent funding to fix horror stretches on the North West Coastal and Great Northern Highways.

We received a written reply from Mr Troy Buswell’s office and Mr Anthony Albanese wants to meet with us on the issue.

The action comes in the wake of the death of truck driver Ashley Johnson who was killed on the North West Coastal Highway in a head on collision with another road train in August.
The dreadful fatality occurred on a dangerously narrow stretch of road which runs for 125.6 kms North of Minilya.

Soon after Ashley’s death, Mr Buswell told ABC radio listeners that Main Roads WA has developed a business case to widen and improve this section of the Highway. Project development work, including construction design, has been completed. Total cost is estimated at about $300million.
Mr Buswell also stated that Premier Barnett wrote to Anthony Albanese in March 2011 requesting funding to upgrade the highway. However our enquiries have indicated that no money whatsoever has yet been earmarked for widening of the road.

We told Mr Buswell that long distance truck drivers using the stretch of road tell us there is no problem with the road surface, only the narrow width. Some ask, why can’t MRD WA just widen it by half a meter on each side to remove the stress and danger of trying to stay on the bitumen to avoid a head
on crash or dropping off and god forbid side swiping some poor driver coming in the opposite direction?
Road trains have only 250 mils to play with when a similar rig or caravan passes heading in the opposite
direction.

According to Mr Buswell’s office, Main Roads have suggested staging upgrade works to allow construction work to commence in 2013. “It is hoped that a positive announcement in this regard may be possible shortly,” the letter says.

“Your suggestion to widen this section half a metre either side as an interim treatment is noted.

“However the current shape of the road formation and shoulders for the majority of the Highway will not accommodate the proposed treatment, “This is due to the following reasons.
• Some sections of the Highway are currently too narrow with little or no shoulder and the seal effectively joins the batter slope.
• The current shoulders do not have the same or similar crossfall to the traffic lanes; and
• The existing shoulder material is not currently suitable for the use as pavement.”

This response – which is obviously based on technical Main Roads advice – all but rules out the widening suggestion.

That means the 125 km strip will need to be ripped up and rebuilt.

That will cost at least $300 million and that’s where our chat with Mr Anthony Albanese and the federal government becomes vitally important.

We hope to have better news for readers in the next edition of The Wheel.