The Government of Western Australia has selected two consortiums for the submission of detailed design and construction plans for the Bunbury Outer Ring Road.

This move brings the project another step closer towards construction.

The two consortiums are The Forrest Alliance and Southwest Connex.

CPB Contractors, Carey MC, Densford Civil, GHD, and BG&E are part of the Forrest Alliance consortium, while Acciona, NRW Contracting, MACA Civil, AECOM, and Aurecon are part of Southwest Connex.

The A$852m ($523m) Bunbury Outer Ring Road project is backed by the Australian Government and the state government.

The Australian Government is contributing 80% of funding, which is over A$681.6m ($418.5m), while the state government is contributing 20%, equivalent to A$170.4m ($418.5m).

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Regional Development Michael McCormack said: “Bunbury Outer Ring Road will provide relief for local residents by removing freight and regional traffic from local roads while maintaining easy access to Bunbury and other regional destinations.

“Investing in well-planned transport projects will keep the Bunbury region moving and boost its status as a major economic regional centre.”

An alliance contract is expected to be awarded by the end of this year, with construction of the project scheduled to begin in 2021.

Western Australia Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said: “The Outer Ring Road is the biggest transport infrastructure project ever planned for the South West and will generate significant economic and employment opportunities.

“Maximising local business procurement is a key objective for the project. The procurement process includes set criteria to ensure potential contractors incorporate initiatives to maximise local content.”

In May last year, Western Australia sanctioned around A$4.2bn in its budget for various road infrastructure and maintenance initiatives.