$28m boost for cycling infrastructure announced

West Australian cyclists are set to benefit from a major funding boost of $28m to go toward improving cycling infrastructure over the next two years.

Transport Minister Troy Buswell and Treasurer Christian Porter announced the funding which will be used to deliver targeted projects to address infrastructure gaps and provide safe routes for cyclists.

In line with the Bicycle Network Plan, Perth's principal shared path network will be improved within a 15 km radius of Perth CBD and bicycle network grants across the state will increase.

The funding supplements the $2.66m already spent annually on cycling and will enable large sections of principal shared paths to be constructed, ensuring all West Australians have access to sustainable methods of transport.

State Government unveils funding package to improve road safety in WA

Road Safety Minister Rob Johnson announced an $87.7 million funding package to implement significant road safety measures across Western Australia.

A key aim of the package will be to make roads safer by upgrading metropolitan intersections and improving roadside safety on regional roads in line with the governments twelve year Towards Zero road safety strategy.

Some of the funding highlights include:

• $21.6 million for safety upgrades to metropolitan intersections to be carried out by Main Roads WA and local governments;
• $20.1 million for regional and remote road and roadside safety improvements which are currently being identified by Main Roads WA;
• $11.4 million to reduce impaired driving;
• $17.9 million to reduce speeding which will see Main Roads WA install electronic school zone signs and test feasibility of traffic safety management cameras;
• $3.4 million on improving vehicle safety; and
• $11.6 million on community initiatives.

Wellington Street works in progress

Roadworks will begin on Saturday 12 May to facilitate Perth Station upgrades for Perth City Link which will see Wellington Street reduced to one lane in both directions between William Street and the Forrest Place pedestrian crossing until late 2012.

As part of the works, the stairs on the Wellington Street side of the Horseshoe Bridge will be demolished and all bus stops between William Street and Barrack Street, including CAT stops, will close.

Please visit the Metro Works & Events page for further information.

State Government pledges $105m to address CBD congestion

[24 April 2012]

Transport Minister Troy Buswell announced a $47.6m 2012-2013 budget package to ensure the CBD has a sustainable transport network to accommodate a growing population and major city projects such as the Perth Waterfront development and Perth City Link.

Combined with the $57m already allocated to the Graham Farmer Freeway and Mitchell Freeway upgrades, the plan will ensure that the needs of drivers, users of public transport, pedestrians and cyclists are met. The plan involves:

• active traffic management to provide information to road users and incident response crews through the use of CCTV cameras;
• additional Red CAT buses in operation from July 2012, and the introduction of the new Green CAT service in July 2013 to travel between Leederville and Esplanade stations via City West; and
• construction of new cycle paths and bus lanes.

New intersection improves access to and from the Perth International Terminal

[17 April 2012]

A new intersection on Tonkin Highway has been opened, providing additional access to and from the International Terminal at Perth Airport and substantially improving traffic congestion in the local area.

The intersection is located north of the current Tonkin Highway/Leach Highway intersection and connects Tonkin Highway to Dunreath Drive on the Perth Airport estate which leads to the International Airport.

For further information about the intersection and works, including a map of the new intersection, please visit the Perth Airport website.

Barrack St Bridge and Wellington Street works in progress

[16 April 2012]

Work has commenced on Barrack Street Bridge and Wellington Street to facilitate the upgrade of Perth Station which will:

• provide operational flexibility for the metropolitan train network and ensure future public transport needs can be met; and
• create seamless transfer for passengers from Perth Underground to all platforms in Perth station.

Northbound lanes of the Barrack Street Bridge will remain open, however the southbound lanes will be closed.

Motorists are advised to use William Street and Lord Street to access the CBD.

Please visit the Metro Works & Events page for further information.

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Northbridge Tunnel widening commencing soon

[6 March 2012]

Works will commence shortly to accommodate a third traffic lane in the Graham Farmer Freeway tunnel and increase lane capacity on the Mitchell Freeway.

Transport Minister Troy Buswell announced the project on Sunday 4 March, saying the works, worth $57m, would:

• provide an alternative east-west route for CBD traffic;
• adjust merging arrangements onto Mitchell Freeway; and
• redirect traffic exiting at Vincent and Powis Streets.

These works will therefore assist to manage the impact of major projects such as the Perth Waterfront development.

The project is part of a package of transport solutions to improve the operation of the CBD road network and address the challenge of Perth’s increasing population.
 
Perth Waterfront is one of the most significant developments in Australia and will see Riverside Drive realigned to allow traffic to flow into Barrack and William streets.
 
Although traffic will still flow around the development, traffic modelling on the impact of the diversion on Graham Farmer Freeway indicates an additional 14,500 vehicles per day will be redirected through the tunnel, and it is the intention that work on the tunnel will be complete and operational before the Riverside Drive diversion
 
Beginning this month, Main Roads will consult with the road construction industry about procurement options to deliver the works, set to be completed within the next two years. The works involve:

• providing an extra lane in the Graham Farmer Freeway tunnel,
• building an additional lane on Mitchell Freeway northbound from Graham Farmer Freeway to Hutton Street; widening traffic bridges over Powis St, Vincent St and Scarborough Beach Road; and
• building an on-ramp from Loftus Street exit of Mitchell Freeway

Works on the Graham Farmer Freeway tunnel begin in July 2012 and are expected to be finished by May 2013, with the additional freeway works to be completed by November 2013.

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Main Roads Achieves International Recognition for Sustainability

[7 November 2011]

Main Roads WA has achieved international recognition for its 2011 Annual Report’s public sustainability reporting and accountability processes. 

Main Roads Managing Director Menno Henneveld said today that the State road agency had attained recognition for its reporting processes against the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) - the first Australian Public Sector agency to achieve such an accolade.

The GRI was created in the late 1990’s and is a network-based organisation that produces a comprehensive sustainability reporting framework now widely used around the world.  Reports based on the GRI Framework are used to demonstrate organisational commitment to sustainable development, to compare organisational performance over time, to measure organisational performance and to promote a standardised approach to reporting, ranging from ‘A status’ which reflects a high level of disclosure to ‘C status’ for ‘beginners’.

“Main Roads first publically reported its progress against the GRI framework in its 2009 Annual Report as has continued to improve its practices and performance which has culminated in the agency attaining both third party accreditation and GRI checked ‘B status’ for its 2011 Annual Report,” Mr Henneveld said.   

“Last year 395 international organisations attained a GRI checked status and of these just 11 were Australian companies.”

“GRI checked organisations represent some of the largest companies in the world and for Main Roads to be able to compare its approaches to sustainability and accountability against these multinational organisations emphasises the value and importance of this achievement.”

The Main Roads Annual Report 2011 is now available to view.

Please visit the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) website for further information about a reporting framework. 

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Public Transport for Perth in 2031 released

[14 July 2011]

The newly released Public Transport for Perth in 2031 document is the State Government’s vision for improved and expanded public transport in Perth.

The plan will play a vital role in addressing congestion and accessibility issues as Perth grows to an expected population of 2.5 million by 2031.

This plan identifies the main public transport infrastructure needs and the links required between major activity centres such as universities and Perth Airport.

Key initiatives include the introduction of light rail, the development of rapid transit corridors, expansion of the rail network and more buses and trains.

The comment period for this plan closes on 14 October.  Comments will be considered by the Department of Transport before a final plan is released.

Please visit Department of Transport website for further information about Public Transport for Perth in 2031.

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