Published on Wednesday, 22 December 2021 at 9:46:11 AM
BACKGROUND: A storm event on 3-4 August 2020 caused substantial damage to road infrastructure in Denmark including a landslide on Mount Shadforth Road. Subsequently, the Shire of Denmark was included in State and Federal Government disaster relief and recovery arrangements under Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements Western Australia (DRFAWA). There is an additional application lodged to DRFAWA for storm damage that occurred in 2021 which has received preliminary approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
The damage to Mount Shadforth Road occurred in 2020. Why has it taken so long to engage a contractor to fix the problem? With any sort of major damage to road networks such as this, an extensive process is undertaken to ensure the safety of the site in future. The stages of this process include emergency works, essential public asset reconstruction assessment and works, surveying, geotechnical testing, reconstruction design, Main Roads WA and Department of Fire and Emergency Services approvals and securing funding through DRFAWA. After all of this is done, we advertise for tenders with all the necessary information at hand so prospective contractors can prepare their tenders. It’s a lengthy process, but it’s designed to remove the risk of longer-term issues and delays.
When is the repair work going to start? The tender process concluded recently when Council awarded the contract at the November Ordinary Council Meeting. The contractor had advised they plan to commence works in mid-late January 2022.
How long will the repair work take and how disruptive will it be? All works are scheduled to be completed by April 2022. While contractors will be managing the site for some months, we anticipate the need for a complete road closure for at least two to three weeks during this period for the reconstruction work to be done safely. We will be sharing details of any road closures and detours as soon as we have information available to help impacted community members plan their daily travel routes. DETOUR MAP NOW AVAILABLE HERE.
In addition to the major works on Mount Shadforth Road, there are other works scheduled to be completed simultaneously which may cause further minor traffic delays. All civil works on Mount Shadforth Road are expected to be completed by April 2022.
What happens in the event of an emergency? There will be a range of detour routes for everyday use but in the event of an emergency, our Emergency Services will have priority access and, if necessary and safe, we will open the closed area of the road for Emergency Services access.
How much is this costing Denmark ratepayers? The cost of the emergency works stage was fully reimbursed through DRFAWA. The remainder of the work to be done, which includes repair and reconstruction work to be done on 30 roads in our Shire (in addition to the major work on Mount Shadforth Road), is expected to cost more than $1 million. The cost will be covered by DRFAWA with a contribution from the Shire of Denmark capped at up to $187,000. A full list of the roads listed in the schedule of works was published on the Shire website as an attachment with the agenda of the November Ordinary Council Meeting.
Who do I contact if I have questions about this project? Our Manager Technical Services Martin Buczak and our Deputy CEO David King are available to answer questions. You can contact them on email enquiries@denmark.wa.gov.au or by phone (08) 9848 0300.
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