THE use of modular fabrication technology in the shipping and fabrication industries is driving demand for high-wide-load corridors to carry over-dimension loads.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry maintains that if these corridors are available on the road network in WA, about $81 million worth of fabrication work would be transported by road, representing savings in resource project construction worth $27 million a year.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry director industry policy Bill Sashegyi said the chamber was preparing a report to present to the State Government later in the year.
“CCI has commissioned Syme Marmion to do a report which will pull together all the relevant information about high-wide-load corridors, Mr Sashegyi said.
“We’re going to be involved in a whole series of interviews with industry including the ship building industry, fabrication, transport companies and companies that provide services to the resource industry.
“We’ll draw together all the relevant information into a coherent message that will promote the need for a strategy for high-wide-load corridors.”
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the Government had already invested $2 million in the road network as part of the Jervoise Bay development.
“We would like to do more this year and we are reviewing our budget to see if we can do more,” she said.
“Virtually all the transport tasks that the CCI has indicated it wants can be catered for subject to planning with the Main Roads Department. The question is, do we give this priority over and above work that there’s already a requirement for.”
