- $10.2 million regional road infrastructure upgrades at Port of Esperance
- Improves heavy vehicle flow and safety in bumper start to grain season
- Stage 2 works delivered as part of three-stage $19.6 million investment in Hughes Road
- Cook Government delivering improved infrastructure and services in regional centres
With a bumper start to the grain season pushing record volumes, heavy vehicles moving growers' harvests are enjoying a safer, smoother run into the Port of Esperance thanks to newly completed upgrades on Hughes Road.
The $10.2 million Stage 2 works, part of the Cook Government's three-stage $19.6 million Road Improvement Program, have transformed the port's sole heavy-vehicle access route, easing congestion, and improving safety for an estimated 250,000 truck movements each year.
A new roundabout, upgraded road section, and redesigned entry and exit layout are helping heavy vehicles flow more efficiently, keeping harvest traffic moving during the busy start to the season. The nine-month construction program delivered 3,000 cubic metres of earthworks, 400 metres of drainage, 500 metres of electrical conduit, and 5,800 tonnes of asphalt to strengthen the 60-year-old road network.
The upgrades directly support the four million tonnes of road-freighted trade handled through Esperance annually and pave the way for future trade growth as Southern Ports continues implementing its 30-year master plan.
Stage 1 works, completed in 2024, delivered major safety and drainage improvements to the first stretch of Hughes Road, while Stage 3 will reconstruct degraded pavement areas on other port roads to complete the full upgrade program.
Southern Ports exported 7.3 million tonnes of grain across its ports last financial year, including 2.7 million tonnes through Esperance. This year, Esperance has already exported 1.18 million tonnes - more than double the same time last year (507,356 tonnes), including 556,441 tonnes wheat, 318,994 tonnes canola, and 307,428 tonnes barley.
As stated by Ports and Regional Development Minister Stephen Dawson:
"Hughes Road is an essential part of the region's supply chain network, critical in supporting more than half of the trade through the Port of Esperance each year, including grain, woodchips, spodumene and fertiliser.
"The Cook Government is funding upgrades that will help Southern Ports capitalise on its increasingly diverse trade opportunities through the Port of Esperance and paves the way for regional product to reach global markets.
"We've seen larger than ever grain harvests in our southern regions over the past few years, including a strong start to this season. This 60-year-old stretch of road has been vital in ensuring millions of tonnes of grain can be exported each year, supporting our farmers and our economy."
As stated by Goldfields-Esperance Minister David Michael:
"The Port of Esperance is a critical asset linking the agriculture and mining sectors across Goldfields-Esperance to markets all over the world.
"Upgrading Hughes Road positions the port to handle a greater volume of movements and that bodes well for the region's economic prospects."
