The new $6.5 million road train assembly area in Bunbury, Western Australia is now operational.
According to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Warren Truss, the new assembly area will give road trains a safe location to break down into single trailers before travelling into the Bunbury city area.
“This project is the result of significant investment by the Australian and Western Australian governments in the highway infrastructure between Perth and Bunbury,” Minister Truss said. “Funding for the road train assembly area was provided under the jointly funded $154.6 million Bunbury Port Access Project, which included the construction of Willinge Drive and the first stage of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road.”
Western Australian Minister for Transport Dean Nalder said building the road train assembly area had involved constructing access and circulating roads and 20 road train assembly bays along with installing appropriate lighting and fencing.
“Thanks to the Bunbury Port Access Project, which opened to traffic last year, the number of large trucks passing through Bunbury on Robertson Drive has already been reduced by around 200 trucks a day, easing the congestion on the road network.”
The Bunbury road train assembly facility was funded by a $5.2million investment from the Australian Government and $1.3million from the Western Australian Government.
The new road train assembly area would allow longer and more efficient trucks on to the Forrest Highway. It is in a safe location away from residential areas, has allowed for the extension of the 36.5 metre road train network between Perth and Bunbury.
Previously, only 27.5 metre long road trains were allowed on the network unless travelling under special permit, so this new assembly area will help improve freight efficiency and reduce costs.
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