Work on Kwinana Freeway extension to start this year

Work on a $30 million extension to the Kwinana Freeway will begin later this year.

Western Australian Transport Minister Pam Beggs and Senator Pat Giles today announced details of the extension at a briefing of local councils in Cockburn.

The 11.7 km extension, from Forrest Road to Thomas Road is being funded under the Commonwealth's National Arterial Road Program.

Work is due to begin in September after a public environmental review and is expected to be finished in mid-1994.

Mrs Beggs said the extension would have two lanes in each direction and traffic lights at Gibbs, Rowley, Hope Valley and Thomas roads.

"In future, when traffic volumes increase following urban development further south, the extension will be upgraded with bridges to replace the traffic signals," Mrs Beggs said.

"The freeway reserve has been extended to the boundary of the metropolitan region and provision has been made to extend the route ultimately from Thomas Road to Mandurah."

Mrs Beggs said the freeway extension was in line with a submission from five local councils who wanted the Government to bring forward the construction timetable.

"It is important to bear in mind that this is a development stage and traffic forecasts from Farrington Road southwards do not justify the relative high costs of bridges," she said.

"But when traffic builds up, depending on the pace of urban development, the section will be upgraded to provide the higher level of service needed.

"The Government's priorities are to ensure that transport services and infrastructure are efficiently and effectively provided to meet the needs of families and industry," she said.

"This involves planning to contain transport costs while also meeting the community's concerns for the environment and increased energy efficiency."

Mrs Beggs said work on the extension had been organised to minimise the impact on the water resources of the Jandakot Mound and nearby wetlands.  Several areas of dieback had been identified and construction activities would be controlled to contain the disease.

She was particularly pleased that a dual-use path would be incorporated alongside the route.  These paths provided a safe and enjoyable cycling and walking link within the region.

Mrs Beggs said the City of Cockburn had committed $2 million and the Town of Kwinana $1.4 million for development of local roads associated with the construction of the extension.