City of Greater Geraldton wants Main Roads to take responsibility of section of Marine Terrace near port

The City of Greater Geraldton wants to see Main Roads take ownership of a small section of Marine Terrace burdened by heavy road train use, particularly iron ore vehicles, resulting in road deterioration, and wear and tear. Following the construction of a roundabout servicing road trains in and out of the port at the west end of Marine Terrace, Mid West Ports Authority has taken responsibility of maintenance and upkeep of the new thoroughfare. That leaves a small section of Marine Terrace between the port roundabout and State-owned John Wilcock Link that the local council is responsible for. Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the maintenance of that section of Marine Terrace should be the responsibility of Main Roads given it acted as a service road for heavy haulage vehicles. “We think it’s only reasonable that the entire leg from the roundabout up to John Wilcock Link, which goes all the way out to Mt Magnet and beyond, is owned by the State Government,” he said. Mr Van Styn said that section of Marine Terrace was seeing a “rapid deterioration” to the road’s surface because of heavy haulage use and the cost was a burden to ratepayers. “Road trains and haulage trucks are tearing up the roads . . . it’s really beyond the scope of local government to surface those roads, particularly given the fact that either side of that little stretch of road only services State Government land. It shouldn’t be the responsibility of the ratepayers, it should be with the State,” he said. A Main Roads spokesperson said Marine Terrace was a local road under the care and control of the City and they were responsible for the access and maintenance. “Local governments can formally request a classification assessment for local roads,” the spokesperson said. “As part of this assessment, local governments need to provide sufficient justification, including strategic documentation, evidence of changing use, current traffic counts, and any programmed upgrades.”