A $5.1 million contract has been awarded to local company Advanteering Civil Engineers to construct a further extension of the Principal Shared Path (PSP) between Perth to Fremantle.
The 2.1 kilometre section will run along the Fremantle rail line, from Victoria Street Station to North Fremantle Station, and will improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
The new four-metre wide section of PSP will provide a continuous, off-road path for people walking and riding along Curtin Avenue.
It will build on the success of the McGowan Government's three-kilometre extension of the Fremantle Line PSP from Grant Street to Victoria Street in mid-2019, which more than doubled the amount of cyclists using the Fremantle Line PSP.
Construction on the Victoria Street Station to North Fremantle Station section is due to commence in early 2021 and will support 36 direct and indirect jobs.
New access points will also be constructed to Victoria Street Station, North Fremantle Station and the Leighton Beach Boulevard with further works to include:
- upgrades to pedestrian crossing facilities on Curtin Avenue providing safer access to Mosman Beach and Leighton Beach car parks; and
- construction of a concrete path connecting the PSP to The Beehive Montessori School.
Funded by the McGowan Government's Principal Shared Path Expansion Program, construction will be completed by mid-2021.
Consultation is also underway on the Swan River Crossings project (Fremantle Traffic Bridge replacement), which will deliver the next stage of the path ensuring an uninterrupted journey for people walking and riding from North Fremantle down to, and across, the Swan River, while creating hundreds of local jobs and improving safety.
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
"This Victoria Street to North Fremantle PSP is part of the McGowan Government's $220 million cycling investment and commitment to completing gaps along our current path network to provide safe and continuous facilities.
"The extension of this path provides a safe option for bike riders and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
"In the six months after the Grant Street Station to Victoria Street Station PSP was completed, we saw the number of people riding and walking on the path more than double, so I am confident this extension will be warmly welcomed by the community."
As stated by Fremantle MLA Simone McGurk:
"Fremantle has a huge cycling community as it is, and these projects will only get more of us on our bikes.
"These sorts of projects are fantastic for commuters, but they will also benefit cycling tourism and provide a safe network for families.
"Improving cycling connections in and around Fremantle has been a long-held commitment and we're proud to be investing record funding toward it."
