Motorists on Perth’s two primary arterials will soon be getting home faster and safer with work starting on major upgrades of the Mitchell and Kwinana freeways.
The transformation includes the Cedric Street to Vincent Street widening (southbound) project and the final section of the Kwinana Freeway – Russell Road to Roe Highway widening (northbound) project.
The Kwinana Freeway project will create 340 jobs and will improve travel times by up to 15 minutes in the morning peak, while the Mitchell Freeway project will improve travel times by up to nine minutes in the morning peak.
WA premier Mark McGowan said the Mitchell Freeway project would create about 280 local jobs and add 7km of lane and four continuous southbound freeway lanes, reducing congestion through the area and upgrading the road network for the future.
“These freeway upgrade projects are part of the state Labor government’s wider job-creating investment into WA road projects and I’m pleased we’ve been able to get work underway in a short space of time,” McGowan said.
“We have contributed $186 million towards the transformation of Perth freeways, which includes these two projects, the Smart Freeways initiative, the Manning Road on ramp, and state-funded Hutton to Cedric Street upgrade.
“These along with the $100 million Murdoch Drive project in Perth’s south will result in more than 1,700 jobs being created and will benefit Western Australians, enhance productivity and support economic development by improving access to key commercial and industrial precincts.”
Minister for cities, urban infrastructure and population Alan Tudge said thousands of people across Perth would benefit from the congestion-busting improvements.
“The Mitchell and Kwinana Freeway upgrades will increase freight efficiency and improve access to services and employment hubs,” Tudge said.
“The Coalition government is keeping Perth moving – we’re getting people home sooner and safer.”
WA transport minister Rita Saffioti said the Kwinana Freeway project would boost the local economy and was part of the McGowan Labor government’s plan to ease congestion, improve roads and save motorists time.
“The Kwinana Freeway Widening project will add 8km of additional lane and provide capacity for an extra 1,800 vehicles per hour, improving traffic flow for those commuting to the CBD or our northern suburbs,” Saffioti continued.
“Construction of six out of seven new projects along the Kwinana Freeway corridor will be underway by early 2019, with procurement for the Armadale Road to North Lake Road Bridge over Kwinana Freeway progressing well.”
Federal member for Stirling Michael Keenan said the Mitchell Freeway carries some of the highest traffic demands in Perth, with up to 180,000 vehicles per day, and links Perth’s northern suburbs to the city and the wider metropolitan area.
“This project will fix the major bottlenecks occurring on the Mitchell Freeway at two locations where four lanes merge into three, significantly shortening journey times during the morning peak times,” Keenan added.
The project would also complete the crucial missing link on the Principal Shared Path from Glendalough Station to Hutton Street, ensuring a more accessible and convenient journey. The construction of the link to the Principal Shared Path will boost cyclist and pedestrian accessibility on the freeway.
Three intersection crossings will also be removed and replaced with a completely off-road, wide continuous path.
The project is a key pillar of the state and Federal government’s $2.3 billion “boosting jobs, busting congestion” investment in WA’s road and rail infrastructure announced in May 2017.
The $40 million Mitchell Freeway – Cedric Street to Vincent Street Widening (southbound) project is being jointly funded by the Australian and WA governments, with the Australian government committing $32 million and the WA government committing $8 million.
The $49 million Kwinana Freeway – Russell Road to Roe Highway Widening (northbound) project is also being jointly funded by the Australian and WA governments, with the Australian government committing $39.2 million and the WA government committing $9.8 million.
Both projects are expected to be completed by late 2019, weather permitting.