Kwinana faces decade-long overhaul as AUKUS facilities trigger massive roadworks

Under the AUKUS pact, Kwinada will host submarine support facilities and a defence-manufacturing zone, and nearby Westport will be developed as Western Australia’s future container hub. Delivering this vision will require extensive infrastructure work, including a $1.1 billion overhaul of Anketell Road and a $700 million expansion of the Kwinada Freeway, slated to begin early next year. Industry leaders say the area will become "completely unrecognisable" within a decade, stressing the need to keep vital supply routes open for fuel, fertiliser and medical oxygen.

The US Navy expects up to 2,300 personnel to be stationed in the southern suburbs by 2030, prompting the state to invest more than six billion dollars in preparatory construction. Waste collector Veolia and fuel distributor Atlas Fuels are already planning additional trucks to offset anticipated congestion, though they hope costs won’t be passed to ratepayers. Drivers like trucker Carolus Broers now face hour-long trips for short hauls, foreshadowing the daily patience required during the upcoming rebuild.