Coolgardie Esperance Highway Upgrade

Majority of works in Section 3, just south of Goldfields Highway, are complete and we are now predominantly focused on Section 6, north and south of Widgiemooltha.

Section 6 is the largest project area, and includes reconstructing a 15 km section of highway and new passing lanes. Construction activities have involved clearing, followed by the opening of a major side track to facilitate construction of the new road.

The final three sections are due to start by the end of the year, including Goldfields Highway intersection.

Read more in the September 2021 Project Update (Word document, 2.11 MB).

Coolgardie-Esperance Highway north of Goldfields Highway intersection to south of Widgiemooltha 

• From 10 March to mid-2022
• Reduced speed limit of 60 km/h, with traffic stopped as required
• Roadworks Update (Word document)

South of the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway and Goldfields Highway intersection

• From 13 August 2021 to early 2022.
• Lane closures and reduced speed limits of 40km/h and 60km/h
• The works will be undertaken in 2km sections, one side of the road at a time. Bitumen will be removed, and traffic will run on a gravel surface.
• Roadworks Update (Word document)

Active recruitment of local Aboriginal people has been underway since the commencement of works. During the first half of the year, seven Aboriginal people were in full-time roles, comprising five plant operators and two traffic controllers.

Three Aboriginal trainees have been identified through liaison with the Midwest Employment and Economic Development Aboriginal Corporation (MEEDAC) and Central TAFE. They will be offered full-time opportunities on the project once they graduate in September.

A series of “Buy Local” packages have been nominated for construction materials, water, haulage, waste management, sealing aggregate and plant equipment; actively promoting tender responses from local companies and including non-price criteria in procurement decisions. As at the end of June, the project had spent:

• $4.2 million with local businesses including goods and services procured for plant hire, fuel supply, accommodation, labour hire, haulage and traffic management.
• Of this, $384,500 has been spent with Aboriginal businesses.

Water scarcity, efficiency and management is a key component of construction activities including earthworks, dust suppression and pavement construction. Saltwater sources have been incorporated for the project’s earthworks, however low salinity water is vital for long-term road performance when constructing pavements. This is a scarce and costly resource in the Goldfields Region.

Water for pavement construction is often stored in large open dams. Whilst this method of storage captures rainwater, it is also prone to high evaporation rates in Western Australia’s climate. A product called WaterGuard is being used to reduce evaporation from one of the project’s major water sources, the Spargoville Dam. It is expected to achieve evaporation savings of at least 50%, with approximately 120 litres to be used.

• October 2020: Preferred proponent announced 
• December 2020: Contract awarded
• Early 2021: Construction began
• 2022: Construction completion 

Project Updates

• Project Update - September 2021 - Word document (2.11 MB)
• Project Update - April 2021 - Word document (1.87 MB)

Project Information

• YouTube - Drone footage - May 2021
• Facebook - Blasting video - 26 March 2021
• Project Map - PDF (450 KB)
• Fact Sheet - December 2020 - PDF (526 KB)

Media Statements

• Coolgardie-Esperance Highway set for $52 million upgrade - 19 October 2020