$6.5 million facelift will extend airport road’s life 25 years

A local earthworks specialist has been awarded the tender for a $6.5 million road project improving access to the Karratha Airport.

The realignment and reconstruction of Bayly Avenue, the only public access road into Karratha Airport, was listed as a key project for the 2020-21 financial year and as a critical redevelopment project in the 2013 Karratha Airport masterplan. The works are set to include road widening and resurfacing, public art, a speed limit increase to 70km/h, landscaping, improved lighting and underground power. Investigations found current damage to the road, which was built in 1984, was largely due to poor drainage and ponding of water.

In addition, the increase in traffic volume has caused ongoing maintenance concerns as heavy vehicles typically caused edge failures and rapid deterioration of the road surface. The tender was awarded to Karratha Earthmoving and Sand Supplies at an ordinary City of Karratha Council meeting last week.

A City spokesperson said construction was anticipatedto start in August and expected to be complete by March next year.

“Bayly Avenue has been identified as a critical piece of infrastructure servicing WA’s second busiest airport. Its reconstruction will allow for increased traffic, improved lighting and landscaping and extend the life of this crucial regional asset for a further 25 years,” they said.