Once Esperance Port upgrades are complete, heavy vehicles will have easier port access and a more streamlined route that avoids unsafe interactions and challenging turning circles.
Funded by the WA Government, the $12.2 million spend in road upgrades aim to improve safety, access and efficiency at the port.
Stage 1 works are already underway, comprising a $7.4 million upgrade to Hughes Road, the sole heavy vehicle access road into the Port of Esperance.
Stages 2 and 3 of the Port Roads Improvement Program will be a three-year staged program of works to renew essential road infrastructure.
Future works will also include the reconstruction of degraded areas of road pavement on existing heavy vehicle roads within the port, as well as changes to the existing port access intersection layout to accommodate the significant growth in B-triple road trains accessing it.
The Port of Esperance had a trade throughput of 13.6 million tonnes in 2022-23 with almost half (44 per cent) of that trade transported by road.
Over 300,000 truck movements are recorded at the port each year, the majority carrying non-iron ore trade including grain, spodumene, nickel, fertiliser and sulphur.
“Almost all of the Port of Esperance’s non-iron ore trade is transported by road, so as the port continues to diversify beyond its traditional iron ore base, the delivery of quality road infrastructure is essential,” said Ports Minister David Michael.
The Port of Esperance is the only deepwater port in the southern region and one of only two container crane ports in the state. It is the third largest spodumene (lithium) port in the world.