Wilman Wadandi Highway (Bunbury Outer Ring Road Project)

Large infrastructure projects like the Wilman Wadandi Highway (previously known as the Bunbury Outer Ring Road (BORR)) have a significant ability to influence economic, environmental, social and governance values and outcomes from a local to national scale.

This project will create and unlock a range of benefits for the region, including

• Improve freight efficiency
• Create a safer road system by removing a significant number of trucks from local roads
• Reduce local congestion and create more reliable journey times for all road users
• Add sustainable infrastructure to support Greater Bunbury’s position as an industrial hub for the South West Region
• Generate long term job opportunities for locals
• Reduce travel time between the north and south of Bunbury
• Improve access to Bunbury Port as well as existing and proposed industry areas east of Bunbury 
• Allow vehicles travelling between Bussell Highway and Forrest Highway to avoid 13 sets of traffic lights and one rail level crossing
• Provide travel savings of between 11 and 18 minutes, depending on the destination and peak traffic conditions along the alignment
• Extending the service life of existing arterial roads, currently used by trucks, minimising future local upgrade treatments required
• Reducing the need for heavy vehicles to mix with local traffic on local roads by redirecting 10,000 to 15,000 vehicles a day onto the new road

During construction we are:

• Spending a minimum of $450 million with local South West businesses and a minimum of $30 million with Aboriginal businesses
• Ensuring 5 per cent of all contracts over $50,000 are awarded to Aboriginal business
• Creating training and job opportunities for entry level positions
• Training and upskilling unemployed and job transitioning people in the community

We employed the services of KPMG to quantify the project’s direct contribution to the South West region’s economy, find out more by reading their Local Economic Impacts Summary.

 Project information 

• BORR - Project Update - September 2025 - PDF (665 KB)
• BORR – Project Flyer – PDF (482 KB)
• BORR - Urban Design Strategy Flyer - PDF (726 KB)
• BORR - Project Update - November 2024 - PDF (842 KB)
• BORR – Project Update – October 2024 – PDF (1 MB)
• BORR – Project Update – September 2024 – PDF (1 MB)
• BORR - Construction Update - Southern Section - September 2024 - PDF (384 KB)
• BORR - Project Update - July 2024 - PDF (1.14 MB)
• BORR - Construction Update - Southern Section - July 2024 - PDF (558 KB)
• BORR - Project Update - May 2024 - PDF (855 KB)
• BORR - Businesses Update - May 2024 - PDF (579 KB)
• BORR - Aboriginal Business Update - May 2024 - PDF (546 KB)

Please visit our Past Publications page to see anything previously published by the project team.

 Funding

The Wilman Wadandi Highway (previously known as the Bunbury Outer Ring Road (BORR)) will deliver significant benefits to the region, including time saving, road safety, freight efficiency and improved port access.

A significant portion of the funding from the project’s $1.46 billion is being spent within the region, creating further local jobs, business opportunities and supporting local economic growth.

The $1.46 billion project is jointly funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments, with the increased investment aligning with the project’s scale and complexity, reflecting the current market pressures.

We have made a series of sustainability commitments on the project. Some of these commitments include:

Employment, training, and local business

• Giving new opportunities by targeting 10 per cent of the workforce to be previously unemployed.
• Creating sustainable workforces for local businesses
• Collaborating with TAFE and other local training organisations

Construction

• Minimising waste generation and maximising reuse and recycling using sustainable products
• Sourcing materials from local businesses to reduce transport distances and emissions
• Utilising local recycling facilities
• Seeking to use renewable energy options when sourcing construction equipment

Environment

• Salvaging valuable vegetation from areas to be cleared such as orchids, grass trees and zamia palms
• Constructing fauna underpasses and overpasses in line with environmental regulators’ requirements that cannot be used by vehicles and offer shelter to possums from predators and allow for dense vegetation planting

Aboriginal Heritage and Culture

• Working closely with Aboriginal heritage monitors to identify significant areas or items and promote heritage values
• Creating urban design outcomes that include significant Aboriginal cultural components, such as integrated artwork, interpretive signage, naming of project aspects, trails, and nodes