Drivers heading north out of Perth are in for a smoother journey with the opening of the 5.6km extension of the Mitchell Freeway this week
Perth’s coastal suburb of Alkimos will be a little easier to get to this week after the long awaited opening of the Mitchell Freeway extension.
The 5.6km extension, from Hester Avenue to Romeo road has been four years in the making, and included the creation of four new freeway access points, new footpaths, shared paths and a new bridge over the Butler railway.
While the traffic will be flowing, construction activities will continue for a number of months as road connections are put in place for developments north and south of Romeo road in the future and landscaping is installed.
Testing and commissioning of new traffic signals along Romeo Road at Benenden Avenue will continue, with traffic signals operating under temporary configurations until the commissioning process is concluded.
The $232 million extension is designed to improve access and reduce congestion for people living in Perth’s northern suburbs, and ease pressure on the Hester Avenue/Mitchell Freeway interchange – the northernmost on and off-ramp for the Mitchell Freeway.
WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti says the projects was one of the state government’s fast tracked projects as part of a State Government infrastructure initiative to boost the economy in the wake of COVID-19.
“Extending 5.6 kilometres to the north will provide our growing northern suburbs with better access to the Mitchell Freeway, improve safety and ease congestion on local roads,” Saffioti says.
“The project has involved collaboration across the Transport Portfolio, most substantially with the METRONET Yanchep Rail Extension, which, along with the Mitchell Freeway extension, will provide communities in our north with greater access to our transport network.”
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Collaboration with METRONET has seen the construction of Romeo Road, the new east-west road link from Wanneroo Road to Marmion Avenue. This includes a new bridge over rail on Romeo Road constructed as part of the Yanchep Rail Extension.
The project also used 560,000 cubic metres of surplus material from the METRONET Yanchep Rail Extension.
The project includes impressive public art on two underpasses and two bridge abutments, designed by school children, an Aboriginal artist and local Perth artists, giving the project a lasting legacy in the community.
It supported around 1,200 direct and indirect jobs during the construction phase and was jointly funded by the Australian Government and the Western Australian Government, with each contributing $116 million.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King was upbeat about the value of the project.
“The Australian Government is pleased to be partnering with the Western Australian Government in this project to build the Mitchell Freeway Extension and new interchanges which will make travelling in northern Perth smoother, faster and safer,” King says.