Mineral Resources has announced a private haul road upgrade has been completed following a spate of recent rollovers, with the mining company set to let go at least 100 contract workers.
MinRes revealed in an ASX announcement it has completed safety upgrades to the Onslow Iron private haul road, with haulage able to run unconstrained at normal speeds.
The roadworks included seal binder upgrades and cement stabilisation to enhance pavement strength and moisture resistance, as well as asphalting along the entire length of the sealed road.
The mining company says minor ancillary works off the road continue and are scheduled for completion next month.
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During this time, MinRes employed at least 100 contractors to help transport the iron ore while repairs were underway.
According to The Australian, MinRes will soon only use the fleet of roughly 140 road trains with in-house drivers on the road.
During the upgrade period, MinRes says the project shipped a record 3.2 million tonnes of ore in August 2025.
The width of the upgraded private haul road spans 11 sealed metres from edge to edge, two metres wider than typical public roads used for heavy haulage in the Pilbara region. During the upgrades, vehicles used a mixture of other public and private roads.
“Onslow Iron has continued to perform very strongly even during the upgrade of the private haul road,” MinRes managing director Chris Ellison says.
“The resumption of unconstrained haulage marks another significant milestone as we focus on safely delivering the project’s FY26 volume guidance.
“Onslow Iron is now established as a cash generative, low-cost asset that underpins the deleveraging of our balance sheet while driving stable, long-term growth.”
The upgrades to the 150km long road occurred after a spate of truck accidents occurred earlier this year, with the company engaging with WorkSafe WA on March 19 and pausing haulage operations following a sixth truck rollover in under a year.