Premier opens new freeway project - ahead of schedule, on-budget, toll-free [visual]

22/4/00
Western Australia's most significant metropolitan road transport project since the Narrows Bridge has today been officially opened by Premier Richard Court and its namesake, Graham 'Polly' Farmer.
The $374 million Graham Farmer Freeway will open to traffic from tomorrow night, ahead of schedule, on-budget and importantly, toll free.
The project is named after one of Western Australia's football greats, Graham 'Polly' Farmer.
"From day one, the Graham Farmer Freeway will cut travelling times for businesses and motorists on the east and west sides of the city, it will reduce traffic and lessen congestion on major central city road arteries, and it will help us to create a more people-friendly environment in Perth's central city, without the hassles of heavy traffic," Mr Court said.
This morning, thousands of Western Australians walked the Graham Farmer Freeway, including the Northbridge Tunnel, as part of the official opening celebrations.
Covering 6.5 kilometres, the Graham Farmer Freeway links the Mitchell Freeway and western Perth suburbs with Belmont and other eastern suburbs, providing the first real east-west bypass of the central business district.
The project includes Perth's first underground traffic tunnel, the Northbridge Tunnel, and a new bridge, the Windan Bridge, over the Swan River at East Perth.
"The Graham Farmer Freeway has been years in its planning, design and construction and its opening today is a real milestone for Western Australia," Mr Court said.
"The project has been managed responsibly and once traffic starts to flow from tomorrow night, so too will the benefits.
"Unlike other States which have funded major road projects by imposing tolls on drivers, the Graham Farmer Freeway is toll-free."
Mr Court said at 80 kilometres an hour, motorists could drive the entire length of the Graham Farmer Freeway, or travel the length of the central city area, in less than five minutes, and take just one and a half minutes to drive through the Northbridge Tunnel.
The opening ceremony's finale this morning involved the Premier driving 'Polly' Farmer in a 1924 Chevrolet through a 'football-style' ceremonial banner which covered the width of one carriageway of the tunnel.
Transport Minister Murray Criddle said the Graham Farmer Freeway was much more than a major construction project. It had provided safety improvements and bicycle route, and would facilitate better public transport.
"The project is an example of excellent transport planning and represents a major engineering feat for the contractors involved," Mr Criddle said.
"This route will provide motorists with state-of-the-art safety features, reduce the time drivers spend travelling around the city centre and improve transport efficiencies."
Mr Court said that the new freeway linked residential and commercial districts of the south-east with the residential and commercial districts of the north and west.
"Businesses which constantly travel east to west of the city will find significant time-saving benefits using the Graham Farmer Freeway," he said.
"For example, a trip from Kewdale to Osborne Park in morning peak hour would normally take more than half an hour - using the Graham Farmer Freeway, it should take less than 20 minutes.
"And people in West Perth will now be able to get to the airport in nearly half the time it takes to weave their way through the city and across the congested Causeway.
"Whether infrequent or constant users of the Graham Farmer Freeway, all motorists will benefit by saving time on the road and having an efficient and non-stop route linking the east and west sides of the city."
Media contacts:
Justine Whittome, Premier's office, 9222 9475
Doug Cunningham, Minister Criddle's office, 9321 7333

Thousands watch as Premier Richard Court and Graham Farmer prepare to lead the cavalcade of vehicles through the tunnel at the opening on April 22.