800 trucks daily clog tiny town, decades-old bypass stalled
Eight hundred trucks daily pass through Pinjarra's main street near schools and shops, despite a bypass promised since the 1990s.
Pinjarra, a town of 6,000 people about 80 kilometres south of Perth, sits near Alcoa's alumina refinery and other mining sites. Almost all 800 daily heavy trucks from the region pass through its main street, nearly touching parked cars and knocking over traffic lights.
Schools, cafes and shops line the route. The town has waited for a bypass since the 1990s.
In 2022, the state and federal governments backed the project with $50 million in state funding and $200 million from the federal government. But the federal government withdrew its $200 million share in 2023.
Three years on, the project remains in planning. A further complication: the proposed route passes near the Pinjarra Massacre site, where settlers killed scores of Bindjareb Noongar people in 1834.
Local Aboriginal families have pushed for the site to remain protected. Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the state government was considering stakeholder feedback.
- 800
- Daily trucks
- 6,000 people
- Town population
- $200 million
- Federal funding withdrawn
- 1990s
- Bypass first promised
Why it mattersDelays leave students and shoppers unsafe daily while mining companies operate nearby without the promised infrastructure.
AustraliaPinjarra residents face ongoing safety risks and delays. The bypass could reshape town life if it finally moves beyond planning.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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