Pinjarra Williams Road Passing Lanes

Advocacy is an important way for the Shire to provide a voice for the community on issues that matter. One of the advocacy projects that the Shire has prioritised, is raising the need for the installation of overtaking opportunities and/or passing lanes between Boddington and Dwellingup.

This drive encompasses travel along Bannister-Marradong and Pinjarra Williams Roads, which are State controlled roads managed by Main Roads WA. The route has been the site of a number of vehicle crashes and incidents, and causes continued concern from users with a high number of near misses.

In 2023, the Shire reignited discussions with Main Roads WA to urge improvements to be carried out along this stretch of road.

To assist in the discussions with Main Roads WA and relevant Ministers of Parliament, information was requested from road users in Boddington who have been involved in or witnessed any incidents or near misses along this stretch of road. In addition, information about any traffic hazards was sought.

 

The resulting report was presented to both Main Roads WA and various Members of Parliament. 

In July 2024, the Shire received advice from the Minister for Transport that $100,000 would be allocated in 2024/25 to develop the plans for a passing lane westbound on Pinjarra Williams Road approximately 15km from the Boddington townsite. This would then allow the project to be endorsed for funding consideration and completion in 2025/26.

In addition, Main Roads WA has confirmed that a further two overtaking lanes are in the planning stage, with the projects in various stages of development.

A key element of the advocacy success was the overwhelming response from the community survey that was completed in 2023. The results of this survey were compiled into a Community Engagement Report and provided to Main Roads WA and various Members of Parliament. This document provided personal stories of near misses on this stretch of road, and outlined what the community felt were the solutions that would make the biggest impact to improving safety.

The Shire of Boddington would like to thank all who took the time to provide responses.