Western Australian Transport Minister Dean Nalder said $1.5 million would be spent upgrading Great Eastern Highway at the Focus Minerals and FMR Investments intersections, east of Coolgardie.



“These mining operations involve trucking ore on Great Eastern Highway and into Focus Minerals private access road,” Nalder said.



“The intersection with Focus Minerals is below standard for heavy vehicle turning movements and in need of urgent upgrading. Ongoing haulage operations will only result in further deterioration of this roadway.”



The Focus upgrade will provide designated left and right entry lanes into the access road and improve turning movements for road trains.

The works at the FMR intersection will upgrade access for light vehicles.



FMR operates the Greenfields mill 3km east of Coolgardie for a number of third party clients, while Focus is the largest landholder in the Coolgardie gold belt, where it owns the mothballed Three Mile Hill mill.

Main Roads WA has successfully negotiated contributions towards the project from the gold miners.

“This is another example of the government working in partnership with the private sector to deliver a project to benefit the Western Australian economy and road users,” Nalder said.



This project is under way and is expected to be completed by mid-March 2015.



The second contract for $680,000 will widen a 3km stretch of Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, 60km north of Norseman.



Nalder said the work included widening and sealing the pavement, adding culverts and installing audible edge lining.



“This will improve community safety and access by reducing run-off road crashes and potential conflict between light and heavy vehicles,” he said.



This project is also underway and is expected to be completed this month.



Both contracts are being delivered by Main Roads Goldfields-Esperance region through an integrated service arrangement with Lend Lease.