Member for South West Coast and Shadow Minister for Rural Roads, Ports and Freight Roma Britnell is calling on the State Government to immediately begin works and bring a vital bridge back online.
Mrs Britnell said it was vital the Shaw River Bridge, on the Princes Highway at Yambuk, had weight restrictions lifted as quickly as possible to keep large trucks on the main road, rather than being detoured on backroads.
She said detours were in place along the Heywood-Woolsthorpe Road or the Myamyn-Macarthur Road
“The Heywood-Woolsthorpe Roads is in no fit condition to be taking any extra heavy vehicles,” she said.
“The number of trucks using the road now is creating some issues, so diverting hundreds more trucks that way is going to create a serious safety issue.” “The Heywood-Woolsthorpe Road has large single lane sections, it has steep drop-offs from the edge of the pavement to the shoulders which are full of potholes after recent rain. I have been raising its appalling condition continually for the past three years.”
Mrs Britnell said the Princes Highway is a key freight route into and out of the Port of Portland, used by hundreds of freight vehicles every day.
“Any diversion is adding time to the trip and in turn adding to the cost of doing business. That impacts everyone, from the transport companies to the producer.
“The Minister for Roads Jaala Pulford must take immediate steps to rectify these issues as a matter of priority, not only for the safety of south-west motorists, but to help fright businesses keep our produce moving efficiently.”
