Road maintenance in the Pilbara will be bolstered by a new depot in Onslow and 31 new positions within Main Roads Western Australia.
The roles will be filled by new and transitioning employees as part of the Statewide return of road maintenance to Main Roads.
Road maintenance was outsourced by the Liberal/National coalition government in the 1990s.
The new depot will be the fourth major base for Main Roads in the region and will replace the existing Nanutarra depot, which is no longer serviceable due its remote location.
The Onslow depot will help reduce operational costs, improve the attraction and retention of employees, along with improving serviceability to the road network in the southern coastal and western areas of the Pilbara.
The new employees in the Pilbara region join more than 270 employees who have already moved to Main Roads in the Wheatbelt, Mid West-Gascoyne and Perth metropolitan area.
The new Onslow depot follows the recent purchase of a new depot in Jurien Bay to service the Mid West-Gascoyne region, the lease of a new depot in Welshpool for the Incident Response Service and bridge maintenance crew and the lease of a new office in Manjimup, to help service the South West.
The Wheatbelt and Mid West-Gascoyne regions transitioned to Main Roads in late 2022, with the Goldfields Esperance region and the Perth metropolitan area transitioning this year.
The Great Southern, South West and Incident Response Services will transition in early 2024, with the Kimberley in late 2024.
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said returning the responsibility for maintenance back to Main Roads has been a key priority for the government and the transition in the Pilbara was a major milestone.
"Returning road maintenance to Main Roads will deliver better outcomes for workers, better outcomes for regional economies and better outcomes for our road network," Ms Saffiotti said.
"More than 600 new positions will be created within Main Roads to support the return of road maintenance functions, which means more local jobs - and road maintenance crews that are better placed to respond to issues when we need them.
"The establishment of a new depot in Onslow will ensure we can attract and retain employees in the region and better service the Pilbara road network."
