Saffioti says Northampton bypass could be built first

WA Transport minister Rita Saffioti said it was possible work on the northern part of the proposed new route, including a Northampton bypass, would commence before the highly-contentious southern section began.

“In relation to the Northampton bypass, that route’s very much settled and probably far more progressed in its planning,” she said.

“What we are trying to do is lock away the route alignment and then we go and seek Federal funding.

“We probably will seek the Federal funding in stages.”

She spoke after Strandline Resources announced it would proceed with its Coburn mineral sands project, making the road from Shark Bay to Geraldton a heavy-haulage route.

• New Geraldton bypass threatens wildlife

As a result 230,000 tonnes of Heavy Mineral Concentrate would travel down Northampton’s main street each year creating further hazards, according to Member for Moore Shane Love.

Mr Love said the Northampton bypass project should therefore be an “absolute priority” rather than relying on 240km of the existing North West Coastal Highway between Shark Bay and Narngulu.

“The Coburn mineral sands project has an initial mine life of 22.5 years with construction underway and the first production due in the final quarter of 2022,” Mr Love said.

I implore the Transport Minister to find the funding to get the bypass project underway immediately.

Main Roads WA released the Dongara-Geraldton-Northampton road corridor preferred route in October 2020 for community consultation.

The submission period closed on March 31.

Ms Saffioti said they did not want to leave people living along the likely southern section in a state of uncertainty for years.

“I’d like to see us finalise the planning for the entire corridor so people feel a bit more confident about their future,” she said.

Many young families living near Walkaway’s Arthur and Allanooka Springs Roads had said they feared the bypass would cut them off from Walkaway Primary School and Polocrosse grounds.

Before leaving Geraldton on Friday Ms Saffioti met representatives of the Walkway Primary School P&C association to hear their concerns.

They have been contacted for comment.