Transforming Our Freeways

The past few years have seen a record number of projects undertaken on our freeways designed to improve their efficiency, safety and access. These projects are part of the Transforming Perth’s Freeways strategic program. The strategy focuses on improving Kwinana and Mitchell freeways for a timeframe from the present to the 2031-planning horizon, when Perth’s population forecast is 2.7 million people. Improvements have the aim of maintaining a productive and reliable freeway for movement of people and freight.

The strategic program uses capital investment and ‘better use’ projects to achieve and sustain a balanced freeway network. It includes widening key bottlenecks and rolling out Smart Freeway technology. The strategy also ensures that widening sections of the network is carried out in a staged manner to prevent traffic building up further along the road.

In 2018, work started on our construction projects: Kwinana Freeway Northbound Widening (Russell Road to Roe Highway); Mitchell Freeway Southbound Widening (Cedric Street to Vincent Street); and Murdoch Drive Connection. These projects finished earlier this year with commuters already feeling the benefits.

In 2019, the first Smart Freeway project started, along with works to widen Mitchell Freeway northbound between Hutton Street and Cedric Street, and works to construct an on-ramp from Manning Road to Kwinana Freeway southbound. These projects have also very recently finished.

These projects help prevent the worst of the peak-hour congestion, while work is underway on the next phase of projects. Later this year we will start widening Mitchell Freeway southbound from Hodges Drive to Hepburn Avenue. Planning and development is continuing for the many other projects on the horizon.

In a collaborative approach across the Transport Portfolio, the Transforming Perth’s Freeways strategy will consider, and incorporate into future funding submissions, upgrades for the wider freeway transport corridor, including the Principal Shared Path network and public transport interchanges.