Mitchell Freeway Extension Uses New "Dog Bone" design

This $236 million project expected to be opened to traffic by August 2017, extends the freeway by 6 km from Burns Beach Road to Hester Avenue and will ease congestion on local roads, improve traffic flow and stimulate investment to enhance further development of the area.

Mitchell Freeway is the primary transport route through Perth’s northern suburbs, having been extended in stages over the past 40 years. During that period, there has been rapid growth in the north-west metropolitan corridor averaging around 6,000 new residents per year.

This $236 million project extends the freeway from Burns Beach Road to Hester Avenue and will ease congestion on local roads, improve traffic flow and stimulate investment to enhance further development of the area.

The project has been delivered under budget, providing six kilometres of dual carriageway, with capacity to expand to four lanes in the future, three new interchanges along with various improvements to surrounding roads. In addition shared paths for pedestrians and cyclists have been constructed.

A strong commitment to innovation and sustainability was imbedded in the project’s planning and delivery with a focus on reducing construction and maintenance costs and enhancing safety.

Reduced maintenance and running cost efficiencies of LED lighting installed along the freeway and principal shared paths will be measured to determine the suitability of retrofitting the existing lighting system along the freeway network.

We have also used a recycled and crushed glass sub base on a 150 metre section of Wanneroo Road to test for performance against quality and road lifecycle criteria. If it performs well the benefits will include reducing landfill and reliance on virgin quarry sites for limestone material.

Finally, we have implemented a design called a "Dog Bone" roundabout system to replace traffic signals at the Neerabup Road and Hester Avenue interchanges. This design will reduce maintenance costs, improve safety and traffic flow and reduce vehicle omissions. Project Director, Chris Raykos said "we have introduced these roundabouts and done away with signalised intersections on this project to improve safety and traffic flow while cutting installation and ongoing maintenance costs."