Bunbury Outer Ring Road

 Large infrastructure projects like 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.

BORR 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

• 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.

Ongoing Roadworks

South Western Highway and Discovery Road, Waterloo
18 September to December 2024

• Temporary closures of South Western Highway and Discovery Road
• South Western Highway will be diverted on to a temporary alignment via the new Discovery Road and existing Waterloo Road.
• Single lane closures, managed by 24/7 automated timed traffic signals.
• Access to South Western Highway will be via Martin-Pelusey Road and Brysinda Road.
• Map
• Travel Map

Lillydale Road (previously Centenary Road)
1 August to November 2024

• Left in, left out access onto Bussell Highway
• Map
• Travel Map

Yalinda Drive and Cokelup Road
31 July to late - September 2024

• 24/7 automated traffic signals
• Reduced speedlimits (40 km/h) in place
• Map
• Travel Map

Lillydale Road between Queelup Road and South Western Highway
22 August 2024 to late-October 2024

• Temporary road closure on Lillydale Road.
• Traffic switched onto new alignment on South Western Highway
• Detours in place along the Bunbury Outer Ring Road.
• Map
• Travel Map

Treendale Road, Roelands
From February to September 2024

• Temporary partial road closure
• Detours on Ranson Drive
• Map
• Travel Map

Travelling on Bussell Highway from Gelorup Rise to Grevillea Road
Early June 2024 until December 2024

• Bussell Highway switched to a new alignment. One lane operational in each direction.
• Calinup Road will be re-aligned onto the new Grevillea Road.
• Access to Grevillea Road from Calinup Road will be via single lane configuration that will be managed by temporary automatic traffic signals operating 24/7.
• A portion of Calinup Road where it meets Bussell Highway, will be permanently closed.
• Banksia Road (previously Woods Road) remains a left in, left out arrangement
• Map
• Travel Map

Martin-Pelusey Road and Golding Crescent
4 December 2023 to December 2024 -24/7 closure

• Road closure
• Golding Crescent temporarily closed between Nicholson Road and Martin-Pelusey Road
• Please note – until June 2024, Martin-Pelusey Road will be temporarily closed between Harris Road, Copplestone Road and South Western Highway.
• Travel Map

Clifton Road, Australind
July to November 2024

• Modified road layout and intersection at Howson Drive
• Map

Bussell Highway near Lillydale Road (previously Centenary Road)
30 April 2024 to November 2024

• Traffic is shifted onto a temporary road layout, with two lanes open in both directions
• Reduced speed limits (60 km/h) in place
• Pedestrians and cyclists continue to use existing shared path
• Travel Map

Woods Road, Eucalypt Drive and Yalinda Drive
17 April 2023 to 31 October 2024

• Road closure
• Temporary road closures 
• Detours in place via Gelorup Rise and Calinup Road
• Travel Map

Travelling on South Western Highway near Waterloo Road
From 24 January 2024 to October 2024 

• Traffic shifted onto temporary lane road layout
• Reduced speed limits in place
• Map
• Travel map 

Travelling on Forrest Highway near Paris Road and Clifton Road
12 September 2023 until October 2024

• Reduced speed limits in place
• Traffic shifted onto temporary lane road layout:
• Southbound traffic on Forrest Highway will be shifted onto temporary lanes 
• Northbound traffic on Forrest Highway will be shifted onto temporary lanes (From October)

Moore Road, Davenport
July to September 2024

• New connection to Boyanup-Picton Rd
• Automated traffic signals operational 24/7
• Map
• Travel Map

Travelling on Allenville Road and Lillydale Road in Gelorup
July to October 2024

• Traffic Shifted onto new road layout 
• Reduced speed limits in place
• Single lane closure in place
• Map
• Travel Map

Paris Road between Forrest Highway and the entrance to Spud Shed
From June to October 2024 - 24/7 works

• Road closure
• Temporary road closure
• Detours in place along The Promenade, Kingston Drive and Grand Entrance
• Travel Map

Raymond Road
Ongoing

• Temporary traffic diversion on Raymond Road
• Reduced speed limit to 40 km/h
• Map
• Travel Map

 Project information 

• 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 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 BORR. 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

 When is the project scheduled for completion?

The Bunbury Outer Ring Road (BORR) is on track for completion in late 2024, and will open to traffic at this time.

 There has been a lot of congestion due to the project, what more is the project doing to ensure the community is kept safe during construction?

The safety of all road users and the community is our top priority. In order to construct the biggest road project ever undertaken in the South West region, there has unfortunately been some temporary and unavoidable impacts on the local road network. All traffic management implemented has been approved by the Main Roads South West region, and the relevant Local Government Authority. Roadworks across the project are regularly reviewed through a road safety audit completed by an independent traffic planning and management company.

 What steps are being taken to minimise construction impacts on the local community and the environment?

While the project team does everything possible to minimise the impact to the community, it is inevitable that some impacts will be felt. Construction activities on BORR comply with Australian standards to avoid damage to property and minimise nuisance and disruption to local residents. 

A key mitigation measure is the use of oscillating rollers which is being used when working in close proximity to residences. While these machines still produce vibrations, these are significantly less than vibratory rollers which are more commonly used in construction.

The project has a number of environmental management plans in place that set out how the project will meet the conditions imposed by both the State and Commonwealth Government regulatory authorities to minimise, manage and counterbalance the environmental impacts of the project. Strict adherence to each of these plans is required, and an independent assessor has been selected to support and aid the project team and Main Roads to assess compliance with these plans, with daily reporting and regular audits undertaken.

 How can the community stay informed about the project’s progress and any changes to road conditions?

If you want to learn more about the project’s progress, hear about construction milestones and be notified of any upcoming roadworks, make sure you’re subscribed to our mailing list to receive email updates. You can also follow our Facebook page to see in more detail what the team is up to.

 What will be the benefits of BORR once the project is complete?

BORR will:

• Create a safer road system by removing a significant number of trucks from local roads and redirecting 10,000 to 15,000 vehicles a day onto the new road
• Reduce local congestion and create more reliable journey times for all road users
• Provide travel savings of between 11 and 18 minutes, depending on the destination and peak traffic conditions along the alignment
• Allow vehicles travelling between Bussell Highway and Forrest Highway to avoid 13 sets of traffic lights and one rail level crossing
• Improve access to Bunbury Port as well as existing and proposed industry areas east of Bunbury
• Improve freight efficiency
• 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

 What if I have a question that's not answered here?

You can contact us with any questions by speaking to one of our project team by calling 138 138 or emailing enquiries@mainroads.wa.gov.au.