‘Dragging its heels’: Nationals, landowners call on WA Government to announce preferred Geraldton heavy haulage bypass route

Nationals WA MPs want the State Government to declare its preferred Geraldton heavy haulage bypass route. Member for Geraldton Ian Blayney said many people had been told they would have the information by January. “Every month the Government says ‘next month’ it keeps rolling over,” he said. “If they’ve made their mind up, and we’re told they’ve made their mind up, they should put it on the table.” Nationals WA leader Mia Davies said she suspected the Government was “dragging its heels” on bad news. “I think the closer you get to an election the more unpalatable that becomes,” she said. “They don’t want to be having difficult conversations, they want to be distributing good news.” Mr Blayney said the Federal Government had been “busy dropping sums of money” into major infrastructure projects. “My worry is, by the time the State Government gets around to doing something about it, it will be too late and we’ll miss out,” he said. Progress Midwest has priced the Geraldton Outer Bypass at $137 million, including $109.6m from the Commonwealth and $27.4m in State funds. The Geraldton bypass has been long awaited because triple and quad road trains are not allowed to travel through Northampton, diminishing Geraldton’s importance as a North West transport hub. Landowners along two alternative routes north of Geraldton are clamouring for certainty. They say the indecision is affecting their land values and making their properties impossible to develop. WA Transport minister Rita Saffioti said the planning study for the bypass route was expected to be decided “in coming weeks”. “I look forward to receiving the study and will consider its findings in due course,” she said.