By Dylan J. Stone
It won’t be long before Silverton Road is taking the brunt of visitors to the Mundi Mundi Bash and while some in the community are concerned about the condition of the crucial road link, plans are afoot to get it ship-shape.
While the road was upgraded in 2021 ahead of the inaugural Mundi Mundi Bash, with some road widening work, new signs and guideposts, since then locals and tourists have voiced concern about the overall condition of the road.
One resident, who did not want to be named because of what he sees as the often fractious commentary on social media about potential work to the iconic road, noted “the road is the lifeblood of our community, and so a stronger and safer road will certainly put our community on the map for greater numbers of tourists”.
John Dynon, a Silverton business owner, points out, “150,000 people travel that road every year”, and with visitor numbers expected to balloon over the upcoming Mundi Mundi Bash, Mr Dynon is concerned about the safety of the road for travellers and locals alike.
Sam Farraway, State Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, acknowledged recently that, “heavy rainfall has caused potholes and other damage to this important connector route for the local community of the Far West”.
Work began last week to fill a number of portholes, which followed work that had been completed just last month to repair and widen 26 causeways along the road.
A final seal will be applied to the road in September, weather permitting, which will be a bit late for Bash visitors, but at least it’s in the works.
