The infrastructure overhaul includes upgrading three road bottlenecks at Hazelmere, Alkimos and Kewdale; further widening of the Kwinana and Mitchell Freeways and Smart Freeway infrastructure; and funding toward construction of a train station at Lakelands on the Mandurah Line.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the important thing was that people were spending less time on the road and more time with their loved ones.
"That is why we are investing in public transport infrastructure and removing pinch points and bottlenecks will make a real difference to the lives of people living in fast-growing suburbs," the Prime Minister said.
"This will help families and businesses get back valuable time."
The projects are funded through the Liberal and Nationals Government’s $1 billion Urban Congestion Fund and includes:
- $20 million toward extending Lloyd Street in Hazelmere to ease congestion caused by limited freight access to the industrial areas of Hazelmere and Midlands.
- $13.25 toward upgrading a three-kilometre stretch of Abernethy Road to tackle congestion caused by population growth and more heavy vehicles servicing nearby industrial areas in Kewdale.
- $10 million toward construction of Lakelands Station on the Mandurah Rail Line, filling a 23-kilometre gap in the urban rail network in order to ease pressure on the city’s roads.
- $2.5 million to bust congestion at the Shorehaven Boulevard/Marmion Avenue intersection at Alkimos, improving peak-period travel times and safety for Perth’s growing northern suburbs.
- $50 million to roll out the next section of widening of the Kwinana and Mitchell Freeways and to implement Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) to monitor and control traffic flows.
Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge said congestion was a growing problem across Perth and the Morrison Government’s Urban Congestion Fund would deliver a solution.
"The Urban Congestion Fund is designed to eliminate congestion issues where they are hurting the most – not only the major freeways but the local pinch points which can provide daily headaches to commuters," Minister Tudge said.
The funding injection builds on the Government’s $11.2 billion commitment between 2013–14 and 2027–28 toward transport projects across Western Australia.
This includes $2.3 billion for METRONET projects, a $944 million investment in the Perth Congestion Package, and $560 million toward Stage 2 and 3 of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road.
Minister Tudge said the investment in the Kwinana and Mitchell Freeways would build on the Government’s existing commitment to widen and implement ITS on the Kwinana Freeway between Canning Highway and Narrows Bridge, which is currently underway.
"These investments are about managing the flow of vehicles onto, through and out of the freeway corridors to maximise the network’s performance," Minister Tudge said.
Other key projects supported by the Morrison Government include various METRONET projects, upgrading the Tonkin Highway, extending the Mitchell Freeway and widening the Kwinana Freeway.
