Drivers frustrated by years of work on highway between Bunbury and Busselton
- Replies 28
Work is still underway on a 17-kilometre stretch of road in the South West of WA, more than five years after upgrades were first announced.
The duplication of the Bussell Highway began in 2020 to ease congestion between Bunbury and Busselton.
But five years on, finishing works are still going even though the highway was officially opened in April, with drivers frustrated over lane closures and speed reductions.
Richelle Piggott lives in Capel and travels to Busselton five to six times a week.
She said driving on Bussell Highway was "extremely frustrating".
"It takes a very long time. There's a lot of different signage and I see a lot of people getting confused and unaware of the directional requirements with regards to the roadworks," Ms Piggott said.
"I can see it being a very good project once it's finished.
"But the constant frustration of broken promises and goalposts being moved with regards to when it's going to be finished? I battle to understand why it's taken so long."
Scott Olney has lived just off Tuart Drive in Ludlow for almost a decade.
He said since construction on the highway began, traffic had been diverting down the single-lane, tree-lined road to avoid the roadworks.
"Down south is obviously a really popular holiday destination, but the majority of traffic has been coming down Tuart Drive," Mr Olney said.
"Five years ago, we used to be able to walk down Tuart Drive and people used to walk their horses along the road.
"But now no-one does and I'd hazard a guess it's because there's been a 500 to 1,000 per cent increase in cars."
In February, the RAC announced its top 10 riskiest roads across metropolitan and regional areas.
The intersection of Bussell Highway and Tuart Drive in Yalyalup came in at number three.
The intersection has already claimed multiple lives over the past 18 months.
A 40-year-old motorcycle rider was killed in April last year after their bike and a ute collided at the intersection.
Just two months later, an 18-year-old woman was killed at the same intersection after a collision involving a minibus.
Mr Olney said there should not be more fatalities on the road, which was getting busier.
"The road signage is inadequate; there's no extra signage, no flashing lights saying slow down, dangerous intersection," he said.
"There's other parts of the world where they've built skyscrapers in lesser time and all we've done is construct a dual highway.
"The time that it's taken to complete this road [Bussell Highway] is astronomical and we're still not there."
But while the road was completed in April 2025, finishing works requiring lane closures and speed reductions are expected to continue until the end of June or early July, depending on the weather.
Roadworks were also paused on the Easter and WA Day long weekends.
In a statement, a state government spokesperson said the duplication was always designed as a staged project to be delivered over several years.
"We appreciate these works have caused disruption and we thank the community for their patience," the spokesperson said.
By Pip Waller
The duplication of the Bussell Highway began in 2020 to ease congestion between Bunbury and Busselton.
But five years on, finishing works are still going even though the highway was officially opened in April, with drivers frustrated over lane closures and speed reductions.
Richelle Piggott lives in Capel and travels to Busselton five to six times a week.
She said driving on Bussell Highway was "extremely frustrating".
Drivers are frustrated that work on the Bussell Highway is still going. (ABC South West WA: Pip Waller)
"It takes a very long time. There's a lot of different signage and I see a lot of people getting confused and unaware of the directional requirements with regards to the roadworks," Ms Piggott said.
"I can see it being a very good project once it's finished.
"But the constant frustration of broken promises and goalposts being moved with regards to when it's going to be finished? I battle to understand why it's taken so long."
Traffic diverted
To avoid delays on the Bussell Highway, Ms Piggott said she drove along Tuart Drive, just off the highway.Scott Olney has lived just off Tuart Drive in Ludlow for almost a decade.
He said since construction on the highway began, traffic had been diverting down the single-lane, tree-lined road to avoid the roadworks.
A sticker was placed over the completion date on a Bussell Highway road sign, marking delays to the project. (ABC South West WA: Pip Waller)
"Down south is obviously a really popular holiday destination, but the majority of traffic has been coming down Tuart Drive," Mr Olney said.
"Five years ago, we used to be able to walk down Tuart Drive and people used to walk their horses along the road.
"But now no-one does and I'd hazard a guess it's because there's been a 500 to 1,000 per cent increase in cars."
The intersection of Bussell Highway and Tuart Drive in Yalyalup came in at number three.
The intersection has already claimed multiple lives over the past 18 months.
Richelle Piggott drives from Capel to Busselton at least five times a week. (ABC South West WA: Pip Waller)
A 40-year-old motorcycle rider was killed in April last year after their bike and a ute collided at the intersection.
Just two months later, an 18-year-old woman was killed at the same intersection after a collision involving a minibus.
Mr Olney said there should not be more fatalities on the road, which was getting busier.
"There's other parts of the world where they've built skyscrapers in lesser time and all we've done is construct a dual highway.
"The time that it's taken to complete this road [Bussell Highway] is astronomical and we're still not there."
Several roadside memorials are in place at the intersection of Bussell Highway and Tuart Drive. (ABC South West WA: Pip Waller)
Always a 'staged' project
WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti announced in February last year that the Bussell Highway duplication would be open by the end of 2024.But while the road was completed in April 2025, finishing works requiring lane closures and speed reductions are expected to continue until the end of June or early July, depending on the weather.
In a statement, a state government spokesperson said the duplication was always designed as a staged project to be delivered over several years.
"We appreciate these works have caused disruption and we thank the community for their patience," the spokesperson said.
By Pip Waller
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