Contract to upgrade Casuarina Boat Harbour boat ramp awarded to WA company SMC Marine

The contract will see the current 28-year-old ramp and fixed timber jetty upgraded to a new modern facility with a floating jetty and two-lane ramp designed to better accommodate large trailers and wider vessels.

Read also: Bunbury's Casuarina Boat Harbour development unveiled

For safety reasons, the boat ramp will need to be temporarily closed for about two months during the work. The Department of Transport said it would give notice to users in advance and suggest alternative launch sites.

Additional work to upgrade the boat ramp parking facilities is planned for 2023.

This contract is part of broader works included in the $78.1 million Transforming Bunbury's Waterfront Stage 3 Phase 1 project, which will see the delivery of more waterfront infrastructure including:

Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan said SMC Marine, who had been awarded the contract, had previously worked on the Augusta Boat Harbour.

"The upgraded boat ramp will provide a safer launch facility for the region's growing boating community," Ms MacTiernan said.

Bunbury MP Don Punch said he was looking forward to seeing these works start.

"The initial boat ramp project will provide a further economic boost for the local economy and employ a regional workforce of 13, adding to the $45 million invested in the first two stages of the transformation," Mr Punch said.