DRIVERS and pedestrians at CBH's Esperance port terminal can look forward to better traffic conditions following the official opening of the Esperance port upgrade last Wednesday.
A CBH spokesperson said the recent upgrade would give growers and transporters direct access to the discharge grid at port, which was more efficient but more importantly, far safer for everybody involved.
The spokesperson also confirmed CBH had experienced issues with the interaction of trucks and people in the past but with the new changes, vehicles and pedestrians would be kept apart which was a far superior outcome.
On a wider scale, productivity at the Esperance port was also set to increase thanks to the $120 million port access upgrade
Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Warren Truss said the upgrade had already transformed the Esperance landscape.
"The upgrade redefined access to the port by removing level crossings and building new access roads to safely separate heavy vehicles and rail freight," he said.
"Esperance port is now in a good position to be a competitive player in the import and export market and will help WA's economy to continue to thrive."
WA Transport Minister Dean Nalder said at its peak the project saw up to 130 people working on site which had been great for the local economy and local employment levels.
He said by the end of the project, contractor John Holland expected to have completed about 815,000 man hours and spent nearly $25m locally about four times the original local spending target.
Federal member for O'Connor Rick Wilson also said the Esperance port was now ready to support expanding mining and agricultural industries in the region.
"This is just one example of the Australian Government delivering on its $3.8 billion commitment to WA as part of it infrastructure investment program," he said.
"From Esperance up to the north of the State the government is upgrading the State's vital freight networks and delivering on its promise to put the WA economy in the fast lane."
The Australian and WA Governments each contributed $60m to the Esperance Port access project.
p In season 2013/14 about 2,660,819 tonnes were harvested and exported from the Esperance port zone.
Bobbie Hinkley
Grains writer for Farm Weekly.
Grains writer for Farm Weekly.
