A fix to the Tonkin Highway bottleneck is another step closer, with the installation of 18 beams on the eastern Railway Parade bridge. The bridge is the first of four new bridges to be built over Guildford Road and Railway Parade.
Sixty bridge beams, made locally in Georgiou Group's precast facility in Hazelmere, will be installed over the next year. The biggest will be 35 metres long and weigh 135 tonnes.
When the Railway Parade and Guildford Road bridge works are complete, traffic will be shifted onto the new lanes and bridges, improving traffic flow, safety, and road geometry.
The four new bridges are a key part of the Tonkin Gap Project that will slash travel times, addressing a major traffic bottleneck along a route used by 120,000 vehicles per day.
At Redcliffe Bridge, three bridge segments have now been incrementally launched across the Swan River.
When complete, these combined bridges will provide additional traffic lanes to the existing Tonkin Highway and a dedicated principal shared path (PSP).
Other work on the Tonkin Gap Project includes the Great Eastern Highway upgrades, with a new loop ramp to be built allowing free-flowing access for commuters travelling north on Tonkin Highway.
Once complete, the Tonkin Highway upgrades are anticipated to save commuters up to six minutes during morning peak and up to 11 minutes in the afternoon.
The project is also delivering enabling works for the METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line, with major piling works underway on the southern dive structure. There are an additional 32 bridge beams in this section, with the largest almost 40 metres long and weighing 170 tonnes.
The Tonkin Gap Project is jointly funded with the Australian Government providing majority of funding.
As stated by Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP:
"The Morrison Government has committed $232 million towards the $290 million Tonkin Gap Project, which is helping transform the Tonkin Highway into a high-standard, north-south transport link from Muchea to Mundijong.
"By fast-tracking the Tonkin Gap Project, we are improving travel times and safety for commuters even sooner, and helping freight move around our country faster.
"This is one of many critical infrastructure projects to receive funding from the Morrison Government as part of its record $110 billion, 10-year infrastructure investment pipeline, which is helping to drive Australia's economic recovery."
As stated by WA Transport Minister, Rita Saffioti:
"Eighteen locally made bridge beams were lifted this weekend over Guildford Road and Railway Parade, the first of four bridges to be built as part of the Tonkin Gap Project.
"This section of Tonkin Highway carries on average 120,000 vehicles each day and is a well-known pinch point.
"When complete this project will slash travel times by up to 11 minutes in the afternoon peak period, meaning less time on the road and more time with family and friends.
"The Tonkin Gap Project is a key infrastructure project that will slash travel times, while also delivering key enabling works for the METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line."
As stated by Federal Member for Swan, the Hon Steve Irons MP:
"The Tonkin Gap Project is an investment in the local area, in both the short and long terms.
"The use of locally produced material, such as the bridge beams, supports Australian businesses and jobs.
"The improvements to traffic flow and safety delivered by the project will allow the area to continue to grow and flourish."
