Liberal Party candidate Wade de Campo wants Caves Road intersection upgrade funded

Warren-Blackwood Liberal Party candidate Wade de Campo says the dog leg intersection of Wallcliffe and Caves roads needs urgent action.

During a recent visit, the Manjimup shire councillor and former president said the intersection, part of a stalled upgrade plan for the iconic tourism route, was in line for development of a roundabout.

“I’ll be getting the Liberal Party on board to talk about that as a serious issue,” he told the Times.

“There’s lots to do.”

Mr de Campo said there were a raft of issues beyond school and hospital upgrades already canvassed in the media as the population expands.

“It is growing exponentially, and the community pain is that the infrastructure hasn’t been built,” he said.

“We have to temper these things with a balanced budget.”

More than five years ago, the Times reported Main Roads WA’s plan for a significant upgrade of Caves Road between Yallingup and Augusta.

However, funding was yet to be secured for the capital works program.

A Main Roads spokesperson confirmed there was a “concept design” for a roundabout at the intersection cited by Mr de Campo.

“This concept design was developed as part of Main Roads’ long-term planning for the State’s road network and there is currently no plan for construction at this time,” the agency said.

Although funding remained in limbo for the overall Caves Road project, some money was in place for minor works during this financial year.

“The work will include sealing of road shoulders and improving drainage,” the spokesperson said.

“The amount of proposed vegetation pruning and/or tree removal required for the project is currently being assessed.”

Main Roads was unable to provide a plan indicating the scale of tree removal proposed, with residents likely to be on the front foot for any significant tree removal despite safety concerns for motorists on the ironic tourism route.

Main Roads said it would reconvene the Caves Road Community Reference Group in the coming months before any work started.