Heavy vehicles in Perth set to benefit from $86M construction

Construction on the Roe Highway and Kalamunda Road Interchange has commenced in Perth's eastern suburbs as part of a bid to improve safety for 60,000 vehicles, 14 per cent of which are commercial vehicles.

The $86 million interchange according to Alan Tudge Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure would improve traffic flow and speed up travel times, particularly for freight operators.

“The upgrade will make this route safer and easier to navigate,” he said in a recent statement.

Roe Highway will be lowered by approximately nine metres to pass beneath Kalamunda Road, minimising noise and visual intrusion for residents in the surrounding area.

Connections between the two roads will be retained through two roundabouts on Kalamunda Road as well as on- and off-ramps to the highway.

The project forms part of the Federal Government's $13.5 billion investment in road and rail infrastructure in Western Australia.

Part of its aim is to boost jobs and bust congestion.

As the road improvement program in Perth's eastern suburbs continued to gather pace, Rita Saffioti, Western Australian Minister for Transport and Planning said the project would improve journey times and address congestion.

“This will be closely followed by the now fully funded interchange at the intersection of Great Eastern Highway Bypass, which is currently undergoing project development," she said.

Federal Member for Hasluck Ken Wyatt said the upgrade would also make the intersection safer.

“Eliminating the traffic signals will mean reduced risk of collisions as well as better traffic flow through the area,” he said.

“Replacing the current intersection, which is heavily congested and has a higher than average number of crashes, with a new, safer interchange will make a big difference for all those travelling along this road."

Construction will ramp up over the coming months, with bridge-building activity to begin in the New Year.

Project completion is scheduled for early 2021.

The $86 million project is jointly funded with the Australian Government committing $68.8 million and the Western Australian Government $17.2 million.