Perimeter Road

The Perimeter Road,^[1] also known as the Margaret River Perimeter Road,^[2] is a highway bypass of Margaret River, Western Australia. The seven-kilometre-long (4.3 mi) road deviates Bussell Highway traffic, including heavy vehicles, to the east of the town, and connects to a new airport access road. It is planned to eventually be a dual carriageway, but has initially been constructed as a single carriageway, in two stages.^[3] Construction of stage one, from south of Margaret River to Rosa Brook Road,^[3] began in December 2014 and was completed in May 2015.^[2] Construction of stage two – the remaining northern section^[3] – began in September 2017^[4] and was completed in February 2019, with an opening in December 2018.^[2][5] An extension of John Archibald Drive and the redevelopment of Bussell Highway in the town were included in the business case for constructing stage two.^[6]

Perimeter Road Western Australia
General information
Type	Highway
Location	Margaret River
Length	7 km (4.3 mi)
Opened	2018
Route number(s)	State Route 10
Major junctions
North end	Bussell Highway (State Route 10)
	John Archibald Drive Rosa Brook Road Darch Road Airport Access Road
South end	Bussell Highway (State Route 10)
Highway system
Highways in Australia National Highway • Freeways in Australia Highways in Western Australia

Stage two of the project received $60 million of funding from The Nationals Western Australia to enable a complete bypass to be constructed, rather than a "road to nowhere".^[7] The state government provided the $13 million to construct stage one.^[8] The total cost was $47.6 million.^[2]

The project underwent an Environmental Impact Assessment and Aboriginal Heritage survey. Action was taken to compensate for the loss of native vegetation,^[6] and a zoologist was employed to identify and relocate native fauna at the start of stage one construction.^[9]

The perimeter road has been designed to reduce congestion, improve safety for the many pedestrians, including tourists, who use the road, and provide heavy vehicles with a lesser gradient to ascend or descend.^[10]

Major intersections

LGA	Location	km	mi	Destinations	Notes
Augusta-Margaret River	Bramley	0.0	0.0	Bussell Highway (State Route 10 north)  – Cowaramup, Busselton, Bunbury	Northern terminus at roundabout, Bussell northbound and Bussell south to Perimeter east free-flowing . State Route 10 concurrency terminus
		0.9	0.56	Airstrip Access Road	Access to Margaret River Airport
Margaret River		2.4– 2.6	1.5– 1.6	Margaret River Bridge
Augusta-Margaret River	Margaret River	3.9	2.4	John Archibald Drive  – Margaret River, Prevelly, Gnarabup	Roundabout
		5.4	3.4	Rosa Brook Road  – Rosa Brook, Rosa Glen, Nannup
		7.2	4.5	Bussell Highway (State Route 10 south)  – Witchcliffe, Augusta	Southern terminus at roundabout, Perimeter west to Bussell south free-flowing. State Route 10 concurrency terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Route transition Note: Intersections with minor local roads are not shown

References

1. "Bussell Highway Road Closure from 27 February – Northern access to the town centre". Shire of Augusta-Margaret River. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
2. "Margaret River Perimeter Road open in time for Christmas". Government of Western Australia. 24 December 2018. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
3. Main Roads Western Australia (November 2013). "Project Overview: Margaret River Perimeter Road" (PDF). Government of Western Australia. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
4. "Margaret River Perimeter Road". Main Roads Western Australia. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
5. "Margaret River Perimeter Road reaches practical completion". Government of Western Australia. 28 February 2019. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
6. Main Roads Western Australia (3 December 2014). "Margaret River Perimeter Road". Government of Western Australia. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
7. "Margaret River Perimeter Road goes somewhere". Augusta-Margaret River Mail. Fairfax Media. 9 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
8. Terry, Redman (23 August 2012). "State funds for Margaret River Perimeter Road Stage 1, Redman" (Media release). The Nationals WA. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
9. Augusta-Margaret River Times (18 November 2014). "Work starts on Margaret River bypass". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
10. South West Development Commission; Regional Development Australia – South West. "Margaret River Perimeter Road" (PDF). South West Action Statement. South West Development Commission. p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2014.