A final seal was laid on Lights Road last week signalling the end of the $700,000 road upgrade which is expected to be finished at the end of this month.

The last of drainage works, curbing, line-marking and signs will be finalised before the road is opened again to the public.

Local contractors and the Shire have faced weather delays, but the project is set to be delivered within budget and with minimal environmental impact on the community.

The State Government via Main Roads WA-funded work started last year on the popular traffic link between the Ocean Beach and Lights Beach area to South Coast Highway.

Shire president Ceinwen Gearon inspected the works last week and was pleased it would be completed before winter.

She said the Shire and the local contractor had worked together to ensure the road was upgraded in a sympathetic manner.

“This preserves the feel of the road which we all loved when it was gravel, with minimal impact to the vegetation and better road safety outcomes,” Dr Gearon said.

With the road sealed, maintenance costs associated with regular grading would be reduced, and the trees along the sides of the road would no longer suffer the impacts of grading.

This would improve the health and longevity of the landscape along Lights Road.

Road closures during business hours on weekdays will continue until the final minor works are completed by the end of June.

Parker, Mt Shadforth, Mt Lindesay roads next for upgrades

The Shire of Denmark has secured more than $1.5 million in road funding for the 2023-24 financial year.

The grants will cover the cost of 67 per cent of the Shire roads’ program in the coming financial year, and is described as a win for ratepayers.

The Shire provides the balance of the funding.

Roads scheduled for major works in 2023-2024 are Parker Road, Mt Shadforth Road, Mt Lindesay Road, Hazelvale Road, Conspicuous Beach Road, Kernuts Road and Bastiani Road.

These range from Hay in the east of the shire to Hazelvale and Nornalup in the west.

The roads chosen were guided by the Strategic Asset Management Plan, which determined those most in need of work which includes gravel re-sheets, reseals, and other upgrades.

The funding was secured via the Great Southern Regional Group from Road Project Grants and Commodity Routes Supplementary Funding.

The biggest project is the renewal of failed pavement and drainage on Mt Shadforth Road to cost $681,950, with $454,633 funded through Road Project Grants.

A sealing is earmarked for Kernutts Road at a cost of $410,000 with Commodity Routes Supplementary Funding kicking in $273,333.

Another major work is the $323,000 gravel re-sheeting of Parker Road with Road Project Grants contributing $215,333.

The Shire’s funding allocations have increased since 2019 when the average from 2015-2020 was about $447,000.

From 2020-2024 the average has been $1.43 million with the highest allocation in 2022-2023 of almost $1.8 million.

Shire president Ceinwen Gearon was pleased to have achieved external funding for the 2023- 2024 roads program.

With a road network with more than 600km to maintain each year, Shire officers had worked hard to achieve funding to help deliver the maintenance program.

Dr Gearon said the Denmark Shire Council understood the importance of the road network in the lives of local people and visitors.

“We have been able to obtain sufficient funding to work on different roads across the whole shire,” she said.

This article appeared in the Denmark Bulletin, 1 June 2023.