- Funding secured to improve road safety on seven southern suburban roads
- Local road upgrades in addition to more than $431 million of State road works in area
- McGowan Government invests $20 million in 2018-19 for Black Spot Program
- Black Spot Program enables local governments to address local road problems
- Program is part of the McGowan Government's wider job-creating $3.2 billion investment into WA road projects
- Road improvements support access to METRONET - Thornlie-Cockburn Link
Seven dangerous local roads in the Southern River and Thornlie areas will be improved through the Black Spot Program, further strengthening the McGowan Government's significant investment towards improving access to the southern corridor road and rail network.
The annual program provides funding to make Western Australia's local roads safer for all road users, with this year's program to improve 59 metropolitan locations and 60 regional locations.
Premier Mark McGowan joined Southern River MLA Terry Healy and Thornlie MLA Chris Tallentire to inspect some of the hotspots known for crashes and near misses.
Seven local projects that are being targeted as part of the Black Spot Program include:
- $80,000 for Warton Road and Garden Street, Southern River;
- $34,000 for Balfour Street, Huntingdale;
- $113,333 for Warton Road, Huntingdale Road and Forest Lakes Drive, Thornlie;
- $23,333 for Towncentre Drive and Sugarwood Drive, Thornlie;
- $450,000 for Albany Highway and Fremantle Road, Gosnells;
- $66,667 for Corfield Street, Dorothy Street and Southern River Road, Gosnells; and
- $56,000 for Fremantle Road and King Street, Gosnells.
Works to improve these seven black spots range from road extensions, intersection improvements, road treatments to make approaches to roundabouts safer, and upgrades to street lighting.
These improvements complement other key McGowan Government State road developments in the southern corridor, including the $49 million Kwinana Freeway widening project between Russell Road and Farrington Road - one of the most congested sections of road in Perth, and the $237 million project to construct a bridge between Armadale Road and North Lake Road.
Works are progressing on the $145 million Armadale Road - Anstey Road to Tapper Road project, which will ease traffic between the Kwinana Freeway and Perth's southern suburbs.
Other road safety improvements to be undertaken include the State Government's Safer Roads Program funding of $200,000 to continue the rollout of road safety barriers on Perth metropolitan highways and freeways, including the Kwinana Freeway.
A key McGowan Government METRONET project - the Thornlie-Cockburn Link will run through the heart of the southern suburbs, providing an essential public transport connection to residents and businesses.
These local road improvements coupled with key State road projects will provide a better link between the southern corridor road and rail projects.
The Black Spot Program is a joint State-local government initiative, with the McGowan Government providing $20 million and local governments funding the remaining $5 million.
The program targets improvements to roads with a proven crash history and cost-effective treatments for high-risk intersections.
For full details of the 2018-19 Local Road Black Spot Program schedule, visit the Main Roads website.
The Black Spot Program is part of the McGowan Government's wider job-creating $3.2 billion investment into road projects in Western Australia, with more than $136 million in funding allocated to road safety projects in 2018-19.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"As a regular road user myself, often travelling close to a hundred kilometres a day, I know the real difference improved roads can make on the daily commute.
"The Black Spot Program is vital in ensuring our local roads we frequent can be upgraded to improve road safety for everyone whether they are drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists or pedestrians.
"I'm pleased my Government is investing significantly into job-creating road projects that improve our road networks across the State - making it safer for Western Australians."
As stated by Southern River MLA Terry Healy:
"Some of these local roads are in the heart of our community and are often busy right throughout the day, therefore it's essential we have funding to ensure the roads are accessible and safer to navigate.
"Our suburbs are growing and, as more families move to our community and use our roads, it's crucial that we identify these trouble spots and improve them.
"For example, upgrading the intersection of Corfield Street, Dorothy Street and Southern River Road is important to our local community as it is located near a local primary school."
As stated by Thornlie MLA Chris Tallentire:
"The Thornlie area is continually developing so it's pleasing the State Government continues to invest in our southern suburbs to ensure we have a better road network that keeps up with the growth."
