Capel council opposes southern Bunbury Outer Ring Road route through Gelorup, endorses Centenary Rd alternate

Tensions are continuing over the southern route of the $852 million Bunbury Outer Ring Road project after a South West shire council voted to pitch an alternative path that would not “divide a community”. Aiming to provide a different route around Bunbury, the BORR will see a 27km highway built to link the Forrest and Bussell routes as part of the biggest road infrastructure project in South West history. Main Roads WA expects the road to separate local and freight traffic, helping to support the growth of the region and provide safer roads. The northern and central sections of the BORR, which include 19km of freeway-standard dual carriageway and interchanges between Forrest Highway and Boyanup-Picton Road and between Boyanup-Picton Road and South West Highway, are now under way, with work continuing at the Raymond Road and Willinge Drive sites. The southern section aims to connect the northern and central sections near South Western Highway and on to Bussell Highway by cutting through Gelorup — an alignment that has been planned since the 1980s but is yet to receive the relevant environmental approvals. The proposed southern route has been a contentious issue with Capel Shire residents, with some calling for it to be moved to protect the Gelorup corridor and avoid dividing the community, while others say to build it as planned. Capel Shire Council last week voted to contact MRWA and relevant ministers to outline the council’s opposition to the planned route and propose an alternative that would see the Centenary Road link from the central BORR to Bussell Highway, complete the northern section of the Boyanup bypass from South West Highway to Railway Road, and build a new dual carriageway from Railway Road to Bussell Highway at Bentley Road. Cr Southwell pitched the Centenary Road option at a State Cabinet meeting mid-last year and told the Times it was a viable route. “This route does the same thing, it just does it further north,” he said. “For the cost of one bridge over a set of traffic lights, you’ve saved Gelorup, the corridor, the basalt reserve under the current route, and millions of dollars because you’ve got a shorter Bunbury Outer Ring Road and you get the same job done and we just can’t see why not.” He said the present plan would see the road without a median strip, making it not as safe as Forrest and Bussell highways, and not allowing for a possible future train line. Cr Southwell said critics of the proposal had concerns it would bring more traffic by Dalyellup, but he said it would be the same number of cars on the road. Last week’s motion sparked a heated response from Boyanup residents online, with many concerned it would bring heavy traffic through Boyanup. But Cr Southwell said that was not the aim of the proposed route. “The Boyanup bypass is a separate issue and is already a Main Roads plan,” he said.