A future plan to build a second access road through bushland to Prevelly and Gnarabup appears doomed to failure.
The County of Augusta-Margaret River supported a preferred access route in 2017, but construction progress depended on funding from the state government.
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti declined to comment on the state government’s commitment to the project and referred further enquiries back to Main Roads WA.
Meanwhile, a Main Roads spokesperson confirmed that the agency had not received funding for the project or the next stages of its independent Caves Road redevelopment plan between Augusta and Yallingup.
A spokesperson for the authority told the Times that studies had been carried out to determine the best route for Gnarabup and neighbouring Gracetown, but “there has been no further progress since then on the construction of a second access road”.
The construction of a second road to Gracetown was rejected early on in the process because it was believed to have enormous environmental impacts on the land, most of which is managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
David Nicholson, asset management manager at Shire, said every road project depends on investment from the state government.
“The secondary access roads to Gnarabup and Gracetown were comprehensively reviewed by the County and MRWA in 2017,” he said.
“The City Council supported a preferred alignment for a second access road to Gnarabup in 2017, but the State has not yet made a decision on funding its construction.”
The option advocated by the County would present an extension of Rainbow Cave Road eastwards as the best alternative route option to connect to Wallcliffe Road as it would be the shortest route and avoid difficult terrain.
Because there is no second escape route from the coastal village, Zanzibar’s fire service rejected plans for a multi-million dollar resort by developer Luke Saraceni. Protest group Preserve Gnarabup expressed the same concerns.
Adrian Wilson, president of the Margaret River Coastal Residents Association, did not believe that a second road would reduce the bushfire risk and was against disturbing the national park.
“In the worst fire conditions, the second access road at the proposed location, just south of Gnarabup, would be in the path of a rapidly spreading fire,” he said.
“This road could be shrouded in smoke and, according to some firefighters I have spoken to, could be closed just after Wallcliffe Road.”
Mr Wilson also said a second route would lead to more traffic congestion on the coast.
During a public hearing, residents expressed their fear that every scenic shortcut could also become a “race track.”
Main Roads said planning work on the Caves Road upgrade, which includes sealing road verges and improving drainage, was continuing.
Funding has been allocated for preparatory works to be carried out in 2024-25, including the removal of some roadside vegetation “assessed as a high risk”.