The Tonkin Gap Project has taken a major step towards final completion with additional traffic lanes now open between Dunreath Drive and Collier Road.
The stretch of road was previously a notorious bottleneck where Tonkin Highway would reduce from three lanes to two.
Three lanes of traffic are now flowing in each direction, significantly reducing congestion and improving safety for motorists in the area.
The upgrades are expected to save road users up to six minutes of travel time during morning peak and up to 11 minutes of travel time during afternoon peak.
The speed limit between Collier Road and Dunreath Drive remains 80 km/h and will be reinstated to 100 km/h once asphalting and finishing works are complete.
Cyclists, pedestrians, and other path users are also seeing major improvements, with the opening of more than 3.1 km of new and upgraded Principal Shared Paths (PSP) earlier this week.
The opening means path users will for the first time have access to a continuous PSP along Tonkin Highway between Wattle Grove and Morley.
Additional PSP works are underway as part of the METRONET Malaga Train Station works and once complete, cyclists and other path users will have access to an uninterrupted PSP extending all the way from Muchea in the north to Mandurah in the south.
The new path network also incorporates a heritage trail, comprising a number of plaques providing information on areas of cultural significance on either side of the river. This includes an interpretation node on the southern side of the newly renamed Mooro-Beeloo Bridge, jointly funded between Main Roads, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the City of Belmont. There are also signs explaining the vibrant artwork adorning PSP underpasses at Great Eastern Highway and through the Guildford Road interchange.
Local communities can also look forward to the opening of the underbridge activation area in early 2024.
Previously a barren space under the bridge on the Bayswater side, it is being transformed into a new community space including a new mountain bike skills area, pump track and beach access for kayakers.
The Tonkin Gap Project has included widening Tonkin Highway between Collier Road and Dunreath Drive, new interchanges at Great Eastern Highway and Guildford Road, duplicating Mooro-Beeloo Bridge (Redcliffe Bridge), building new bridges over Dunstone Road, Railway Parade, and Guildford Road and delivery of 2.4 km of new PSP linking path networks constructed as part of Gateway WA and NorthLink WA projects.
The $290 million project is funded by the Commonwealth and Western Australian Governments, with the Commonwealth committing $232million and the Western Australian Government $58million.
Quotes As put by Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King:
"The Australian Government is committed to road infrastructure projects like the Tonkin Gap Project to increase safety for users and ease traffic congestion.
"I'm pleased to see this progress and what can be achieved when Federal and State Governments work together."
Quotes As put by Western Australian Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
"Tonkin Gap is one of the most important road infrastructure projects being undertaken in the Perth metropolitan area and to see it delivering benefits to the community is fantastic to see.
"The opening of additional lanes in both directions means there will now be three lanes in both directions between Collier Road and Dunreath Drive, removing a major bottleneck and significantly improving travel times, congestion and safety.
"Tonkin Gap is delivering major improvement to Perth's Principal Shared Path network and has added and upgraded more than 3.1 kilometres to the network.
"The opening means cyclists and pedestrians will for the first time have access to a continuous PSP along Tonkin Highway between Wattle Grove and Morley - and when works around the METRONET Malaga Train Station are complete, there will be an uninterrupted PSP all the way from Muchea in the north to Mandurah in the south."
As stated by Federal Member for Perth Patrick Gorman:
"This stretch of road was a notorious bottleneck where Tonkin Highway would reduce from three lanes to two.
"These upgrades are expected to save road users up to six minutes of travel time during morning peak and up to 11 minutes of travel time during afternoon peak."
As stated by Federal Member for Swan Zaneta Mascarenhas:
"For the first time, cyclists and pedestrians have access to a continuous path along Tonkin Highway between Wattle Grove and Morley.
"Additional path works are underway as part of the METRONET Malaga Train Station and once complete, cyclists and other path users will have access to an uninterrupted pathway from Muchea in the north to Mandurah in the south."
As stated by State Member for Maylands Lisa Baker:
"It's great to see the new traffic lanes open on Tonkin Highway, which will be welcome news for regular commuters over the festive period.
"Better connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians is absolutely critical for our community and to see these new bike paths opening is fantastic."
As stated by the State Member for Belmont Cassie Rowe:
"We've already seen some of the benefits from this project with new Principal Shared Paths already open along Tonkin Highway through Redcliffe.
"To see these additional benefits with better travel times for road users and greater connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians is brilliant for our community."
