Windscreens cracked on new Wilman Wadandi Highway in South West WA

New windscreens for Christmas is the cry of those who have travelled on the newly opened Wilman Wadandi Highway with reports loose rocks in the not-so-smooth road surface have smashed windscreens.

Social media lit up with complaints in the wake of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road officially opening to the public on Monday, with many saying they were shocked at the state of the new road as loose gravel flew at their cars.

One traveller said they cracked their windscreen while driving on the new road because of the loose rocks and gravel, and another said they had found the surface “in shocking condition”.

The South Western Times understands six claims for minor vehicle damage had been lodged with Main Roads WA, with a spokesperson saying loose stones were to be “expected”.

“Loose stone was expected on parts of the road surface, and this will dissipate as more traffic uses the road and stone is further pressed into the road surface,” they said.

“Main Roads will keep monitoring the situation and deploy sweepers as and when required.”

One South West resident told the Times they would be “sticking to the old way when (they) head south”.

“The amount of rocks being flicked up on our windscreen was concerning,” the resident said.

“I’m sure in a week or so once there has been heaps of traffic, it won’t be as bad.”

Premier Roger Cook said there would “obviously” be “teething issues” with “any new piece of transport infrastructure” on opening day.

“There will be ongoing work on the actual highway itself, as we finalise the landscaping, the brickwork and so on,” he said.

“These things are a part and parcel of the development of a new highway, and it will continue to be worked on.

“It’s going to be a win for Bunbury. It’s a win for the Western Australian economy, and it’s a win for Western Australians who are now travelling down to the South West as part of their school holiday plans.”

While the main section of the road — starting near Paris and Clifton roads in the north, and merging with the Bussell Highway near Gelorup in the south — opened Monday, construction on the project as a whole is yet to be completed.

Local roads are yet to gain access in many areas, with roundabouts and traffic lights still in the works.

Tree planting and finishing works are yet to be completed, and there are reduced speed limits on areas where workers are still out in force.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti joined Mr Cook on Sunday to cut a ribbon and unveil a plaque on the road, which cost $52 million per kilometre for its 27km stretch.

She said although the road would save travellers from Perth to Busselton 20 minutes of travel time in the future, those time savings would not be “fully realised” until the lane duplication project on Bussell Highway was completed.

“Our aspiration is to open the Bussell Highway duplication as soon as possible — we’re targeting the first quarter of next year, but in the meantime, this BORR will still allow some time savings, in particular, dispersing traffic through the South West early as well,” she said.

“This has been a much-wanted project that will stand the test of time. Importantly, one of the things that this really does is allow Bunbury to grow,” she said.

Mr Cook said the project would get cars off Bunbury roads, making it easier for locals to travel within their home towns as freight and tourists utilise the ring road.

The project was joint funded by the State and Federal governments, contributing $356.7m and $1.1 billion respectively.

Forrest MHR Nola Marino said opening the road just months before she ends her career in politics was a full-circle moment after starting her 17-year stint in Canberra with the road on her agenda.

“This has been a project that has absorbed me since becoming the local Federal member for Forrest, and I’m just so pleased to see it finally done,” she said.

“It’s been a long time coming, but I hope now that people will understand, once they start using this, how much this is adding to the local community.”

The project has been controversial for the Bunbury area, with protesters frustrated at the planning and consultation process, which cleared local bushland and ran roads through small communities.