South Coast Highway closed until May for major works

Travel time to several towns east of Albany has increased with South Coast Highway closed from Bluff Creek Road to Kojaneerup West Road until May.

The closure will allow for the construction of two passing lanes as part of stage three works to widen South Coast Highway between Albany and Jerramungup.

Travel distance to towns including Wellstead, Boxwood Hill, Gairdner and Bremer Bay areas has increased by about 26km.

The detour diverts traffic around the Manypeaks area, taking motorists along Chester Pass Road, east on Chillinup Road and then back to South Coast Highway via Kojaneerup West Road.

A detour to Jerramungup adds about 11km to travel, using Chester Pass Road and Gnowangerup-Jerramungup Road rather than South Coast Highway.

Main Roads WA spokesman Dean Roberts said the agency explored several detour options.

Local access and emergency services would not be impacted by the closure.

“The selected detours were also the shortest for restricted access vehicles to allow for the heavy vehicle industry,” he said.

“The decision to close the road was made to ensure the safety of road users and construction workers. A complete closure of the road also enables construction of the two passing lanes to be completed more efficiently, allowing for more work to be completed in a shorter amount of time and therefore only disrupting road users for one construction season, rather than over multiple years.”

The highway is the sole freight and tourism route from the Eastern States to the Great Southern.