Contract Awarded for Western Highway Upgrade to Trawalla

Plans to upgrade the Western Highway duplication between Ballarat and Stawell reached a major milestone today with a $152 million contract awarded for works on the divided highway section from Burrumbeet to Trawalla, a distance of approximately 23km.

Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport and Member for Ballarat, Catherine King, and Victorian Minister for Roads, Terry Mulder, confirmed that John Holland will soon start works to complete a safer four-lane divided highway through to Trawalla.

Ms King welcomed this latest contract as the next major milestone in the duplication between Ballarat and Stawell.

“We are working in partnership with the Victorian Government to renew and expand our transport infrastructure to support the national economy, and to better connect people living and working in regional Victoria,” Ms King said.

“The new contract will connect the existing work sites between Ballarat and Trawalla, bringing the total distance of the Western Highway under construction to approximately 34 kilometres.”

Mr Mulder said that the latest works would provide a fully divided four-lane road, including a bypass to the south of the Trawalla township.

“The new works will improve the efficiency of freight movement to make the Western Highway much safer for the local communities and for through traffic,” Mr Mulder said.

“It's pleasing to see this important project for regional Victoria moving ahead, and we look forward to the opening of the first additional lanes in coming months.”

To date the Australian Government has committed $404 million as part of the Nation Building Program on top of the $101 million in State funding currently committed for the project.