Upgrades to Bidyadanga Access Road, which connects Western Australia’s Great Northern Highway to the Bidyadanda remote community, are estimated to cost $3, marking a saving of $1 million which will now be used to update a busy local airstrip.
The upgrades will ensure all-weather access to WA’s largest Aboriginal community.
A partnership between Main Roads and Kullari Regional Communities Incorporated (KRCI) is under way for the construction of the road and airstrip.
The partnership will provide employment and training opportunities for local Aboriginal people from the Bidyadanga community, assisting in increasing Aboriginal participation in the delivery of the works.
Medical services including health clinic visits, access by primary care workers and medical evacuations use the air strip to provide care to the community.
While the air strip performs adequately in dry conditions, it often closes in wet weather due to water pooling in the aircraft landing areas, resulting in cancellation of these important services.
These upgrades will ensure the community has reliable access all year round to important medical services.
Sealing of the access road and airstrip is expected to commence in late September 2018, with completion expected late 2018.
