Traffic delays likely over long weekend
Motorists are preparing for another weekend of traffic mayhem as the Labour Day long weekend approaches.
Road users were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic between Busselton and Bunbury over the long weekend last year, with some cars at a standstill for more than 45 minutes.
Main Roads WA South West operations director Brett Belstead said in March last year that designs for a continuous dual carriageway between Bunbury and Busselton had been completed.
However, this week Mr Belstead told the _Times _ that Main Roads was still undertaking planning for the carriageway.
"Last year on the Monday of the Labour Day long weekend there were delays in the order of 45 minutes over the normal travel time between Busselton and Capel for northbound traffic - this delay occurred over a six-hour period between 10am and 4pm," he said
"Similar delays can be expected on the Monday of the upcoming long weekend and Main Roads would advise that motorists allow additional travel time on that day or consider avoiding the peak period."
The dual carriageway is expected to cost the State Government $50 million.
Busselton resident Lee Edmundson travels to Bunbury daily and said the traffic had become progressively worse.
He said road congestion was also bad every Friday.
"In my opinion they need to widen the dual carriageway between Capel and Busselton - that is the worst part in the road," he said.
"Main Roads are constantly doing roadworks from Busselton to Bunbury, but in the same spot each time.
"The State Government should be putting funding into widening the road rather than resurfacing it."
Mr Edmundson said it was also a matter of road safety.
"It's a horrible stretch of road and I've found many people don't know how to merge properly and they'll go from 110km/h to 80km/h when they form a single lane," he said. "It's an accident waiting to happen."
