Town to decide on Pippingarra Road realignment

Pippingarra Road may soon be one step closer to an upgrade as the Town of Port Hedland council decides on its imminent future.

At tonight’s council meeting, councillors will vote on whether to close part of the surrounding Pippingarra reserve and road in order to realign the land to enable the eventual reconstruction of the perilous road.

The Town of Port Hedland undertook a road safety audit of the Great Northern Highway/Pippingarra Road intersection in 2016, which resulted in numerous issues identified surrounding sight lines, signage and guide posts.

A key recommendation in the audit to increase safety was to relocate the intersection further west, away from the Beebingara Creek bridge.

However, the land proposed to be impacted by the realignment is held under pastoral lease to the Aboriginal Lands Trust. If the realignment of the reserve area is supported, the land formerly used for the road reserve will be amalgamated into the lease area to offset the loss of land resulting from the realignment, according to the agenda item.

If the council approves the agenda item, the Town will undertake 35 days of community consultation, followed by a recommendation to the Minister for Lands for a road closure.

A Development and Lands Office said the start of the process would strengthen the basis for funding discussions and support funding submissions from State and Federal governments.

“The proposed road realignment will result in the delivery of a higher quality asset to the Town and the safety of the community,” he wrote.

The council meeting will begin at 5.30pm today at the Port Hedland Civic Centre Council Chambers and be live streamed via the Town’s Facebook page.