A $118 million upgrade to a Fremantle black spot is expected to reduce congestion and improve safety on the notorious stretch of the road.

Construction started today on an upgrade of High Street and Stirling Highway, where more than 280 road crashes have occurred in the last five years.

The project will include new underpasses at the junction of Forrest Street and Stirling Highway and Motreal Street and High Street to ensure safe crossings for pedestrians.

There will also be new roundabout at the intersection of High Street and Stirling Highway.

Camera Icon Black spot: A busy section of High Street near Stirling Highway, East Fremantle. Credit: Megan Powell / Megan Powell.

Construction is expected to be complete by early next year.

State Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the upgrade would make journeys quicker for Fremantle commuters.

“This upgrade will reduce travel times along High Street by improving traffic flow through the busy High Street and Stirling Highway intersection,” she said.

“It joins an extensive list of southern suburb road projects that are currently under construction and will deliver major time savings once completed.”

It comes as the McGowan Government promises to cut hours off WA drivers’ peak hour commutes through a suite of freeway upgrades, with six projects currently under way.

Ms Saffioti said there would be further disruption during the construction but said drivers would start benefiting from reduced travel times from the end of the year.

“It really is much-needed infrastructure, short-term pain but long-term gain,” she said.

“What we’ll see is much more free-flowing, a reduction in bottlenecks, and the introduction of technology used in other states to better inform drivers about how to travel in the fastest possible way.”

Shadow transport minister Libby Mettam claimed the new roundabout was a band-aid solution to addressing the issues affecting the South Metro community.

“This project does nothing to move heavy vehicles and cars off local roads, reduce congestion or improve safety outcomes,” she said.