Published on Thursday, 3 September 2020 at 12:00:00 AM
Improved accessibility, road safety and travel efficiency are being celebrated with the third stage of the upgrades to the Tom Price to Karratha Road now complete.
Now as the renamed Manuwarra Red Dog Highway, acknowledgement is also given to the traditional custodians of the land.
Proposed by the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation, Manuwarra translates to ‘heaps’ or ‘masses’ and is the local name for the place known as Red Dog Gorge, which is located inside the Shire’s Millstream Chichester National Park.
Shire of Ashburton President Kerry White said she was pleased that the project had reached this stage of development.
“The Shire of Ashburton has advocated for the sealing of this vital connecting road and I am pleased that we are at this stage of the project”, said Councillor White.
“The impact of this road has massive economic and tourism benefits for our Shire as well as enhancing the livability for residents in terms of accessibility and connectivity.
“The sealing of the Manuwarra Red Dog Highway connects two of the Shire’s greatest tourism assets, Karijini National Park and Millstream Chichester National Park, as well as connecting our inland towns to the coast and other Pilbara commercial hubs.
“I am also pleased that the new name considers the local Pilbara indigenous heritage.
“During consultation with Ashburton community members late last year on the decision to rename the road, one common trait in the feedback received was to acknowledge local indigenous culture and history.
“I am looking forward to seeing the next stage of development getting underway and am optimistic that stage four sealing of the final 107km will be delivered in line with project timeframes”.
Stage three represents an $81.5 million project that was jointly-funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments.
In total, the $310 million new Manuwarra Red Dog Highway Corridor upgrade is jointly funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments. The Australian Government has committed $248 million with the WA Government committing $62 million.
When completed, Manuwarra Red Dog Highway will reduce the travel time between Tom Price and Karratha by 2.5 hours.
Photo credit: Main Roads WA
For media information contact:
Alison Lennon - Manager Media and Communications, Shire of Ashburton
M: 0409 314 140 | E: [email protected]
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