More than $2 billion will be invested on building, upgrading and maintaining regional roads in the McGowan Government's 2019-20 State Budget.
The expenditure maintains the precedent set in previous McGowan Government budgets to allocate higher proportions of an overall larger road budget towards the regions.
A wide range of projects from each corner of the State have been included in the latest State Budget, including:
- $175 million for the Albany Ring Road;
- $852 million for the Bunbury Outer Ring Road;
- $310 million for the Karratha-Tom Price Road;
- $22.5 million to upgrade Great Eastern Highway from Walgoolan to Southern Cross;
- $275 million for Great Northern Highway - Bindoon Bypass;
- $87.5 million for Wheatbelt Secondary Freight Routes upgrades;
- $51 million towards the Ringer Soak and Northern Minerals Access Road in Browns Range;
- $40 million for Coolgardie-Esperance Highway upgrades;
- $27.5 million for Stage One Pinjarra Heavy Haulage Deviation; and
- $87.5 million for Great Northern Highway (Broome to Kununurra) upgrades.
Road maintenance funding for the regions has also remained at a high level, with over $250 million per annum over the Budget and forward estimates allocated towards keeping roads to a high standard and increasing asset life.
Meanwhile, local government roads continue to receive increased funding in line with an agreement struck with the WA Local Government Association last year to ensure councils receive 20 per cent of total State vehicle licence fee collections.
The agreement ensures local governments will receive $216 million this financial year, increasing to an estimated $237 million in 2022-23.
For more 2019-20 State Budget information, visit http://www.ourstatebudget.wa.gov.au
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
"Western Australia's road network spans nearly 148,000 kilometres, and is vital in connecting our regional communities to social needs, jobs, prosperity and in many cases to basic supplies.
"Our investment in building, maintaining and upgrading regional roads is also an investment in local economies.
"Over the next four years more than $2 billion will be invested in regional roads, maintaining the high bar set by the McGowan Government.
"The McGowan Government has been extremely successful in arguing the case for more Commonwealth funding towards major regional projects, as shown by the record number of WA projects now on Infrastructure Australia's infrastructure priority list.
"This Budget is particularly exciting as many of our major projects across the regions will be moving from the planning phase into delivery.
"I look forward to seeing these transformational projects get underway and am excited about the difference they will make to regional communities."
