ANPR devices on Leach Highway
[9 March 2010]
We are currently trialling the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to determine if travel times of heavy vehicles can be accurately estimated, across three locations on Leach Highway.
This will benefit the freight industry as delivery times can therefore be calculated reliably, reducing waiting times.
The ANPR cameras are located westbound at the Leach Highway intersections North Lake Road, Stock Road and Carrington Street.
The trial commenced December 2009 and will run for a six month period.
Please visit our Trialling New Technologies page for further information about the project.
Variable Message Signs on South Street to undergo maintenance
[8 March 2010]
The Variable Message Signs (VMS’s) on South Street, which display the bus lane operating times in the Leeming/Bullcreek Area, are currently undergoing maintenance.
As a result these signs have been switched off and six portable trailer mounted Variable Message Signs are in place to cover this service.
The bus lanes are in operation as per normal – Monday to Friday between 6.30 am to 9.00 am and 4.00 pm to 6.30 pm.
We will advise when maintenance is complete and the large Variable Message Signs are reinstated.
[19 February 2010]
We would like to advise all northbound motorists using Kwinana Freeway, that there will be a temporary lane closure under the Mundijong Road Bridge in Baldivis, from 10.00 am on Friday 19 February continuing until 5.00 am Monday 22 February.
The lane closure will enable repairs to be undertaken to the pavement of Kwinana Freeway. Part of the repair process will involve the pavement “drying back” during which time no works will be undertaken and the repaired area will be closed to traffic to protect its surface.
Motorists travelling northbound on the Kwinana Freeway will be required to merge into one lane. Access to and from Mundijong Road via the Freeway ramps will be maintained.
Speed restrictions will be in place through the work site for the duration of the lane closure and motorists are urged to slow down, obey the traffic control devices and drive through the area with caution.
Please view the diagram (1 page JPG 291 KB) which shows where the lane closure will be in place.
Works to improve traffic and pedestrian safety on West Coast Highway to recommence ahead of schedule
[12 February 2010]
To improve access to the beach area for cyclists and pedestrians, in conjunction with the City of Stirling, we have been undertaken road safety improvement works on West Coast Highway between Manning Street and Brighton Road. Works stopped at Christmas to avoid the busy summer season and minimise impact on beach-goers and local businesses.
However, the City of Stirling and Main Roads have received a large number of enquiries regarding safety of pedestrians and a high level of congestion at the intersection of West Coast Highway and Scarborough Beach Road.
After considering the enquiries and undertaking further consultation with the residents and business owners, Council and Main Roads agreed to commence the balance of the construction work early to address safety and efficiency concerns presented by the community.
Work at the busy intersection will recommence on 15 February for a period of 10 weeks. Road users may experience delays along West Coast Highway during the course of the works.
For further information please visit our West Coast Highway project page.
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Weekend rail shutdown vital for major infrastructure project in the Peel Region
[15 January 2010]
A planned shutdown of the Rockingham to Mandurah train service over the next four weekends is critical to the construction of the $155m Mandurah Entrance Road project.
Acting Commissioner of Main Roads, Des Snook, said that the shutdown is required so that two tunnels can be constructed over the existing railway line as part of the project, which is due to be completed in December 2010.
“The short term inconvenience will be greatly outweighed by the significant future benefits Mandurah and the Peel region will experience once the Mandurah Entrance Road is complete,” Mr Snook said.
The new 6.5 km, four lane dual carriageway is being built to complete the vital link between the recently opened Kwinana Freeway in Stake Hill and the Mandurah city centre.
“The shutdown has been programmed to occur when rail patronage is at its lowest and a very comprehensive replacement bus service has been put in place to ensure passengers can continue to travel to Mandurah and the foreshore.
“Weekend patronage is around 1000 passengers lower in January than in February and March and it was determined that the lowest number of train passengers would be inconvenienced at this time.
“Access to Mandurah has not been restricted and in fact, the new highway has meant that Mandurah city centre is not as congested as it has been in previous Summers, making it an even more attractive place to visit,” he said.
Mr Snook said it was important to emphasise that weekday train services will not be affected so commuters and day-trippers making the most of the school holidays can still enjoy the convenient service of the Perth-Mandurah rail line. Only passengers travelling between Rockingham and Mandurah on the weekend will be impacted.
“I am confident that the change to public transport services will not have a major impact on tourism in Mandurah, however I do acknowledge local concerns and the State Government has committed to a very comprehensive media campaign to encourage visitors to the region,” he said.
Main Roads and the Southern Gateway Alliance will be spending around $160,000 over the next few weeks to advise people of the shutdown. The campaign will continue after the works have finished to make sure everyone is aware the train services are back to normal.
“It is also important to point out that as soon as Main Roads and the Alliance became aware of the Peel Tourism Association concerns we commenced discussions with the group and reviewed our management efforts – increasing advertising and providing additional bus services.
The State and Federal Government have invested significantly in the Mandurah-Peel region with two of the State’s largest infrastructure projects (the New Perth Bunbury Highway and now the Mandurah Entrance Road) being delivered/committed in the last three years.
“$105m has been directly injected into the local economy via local suppliers and contractors on New Perth Bunbury Highway. A further $10m has already been committed for local contracts on the Mandurah Entrance Road and around 200 jobs have been created for people who live in the Peel Region,” Mr Snook said.
For the duration of the closures there will be three replacement routes operated by multiple buses to transfer passengers between Rockingham and Mandurah.
- A return service from Rockingham Station to Mandurah Station via Warnbro Station.
- An express service from Rockingham Station to the Mandurah foreshore, returning via Mandurah Station – this will operate only from 9.00 am and 6.00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
- An express return service between Rockingham and Mandurah Stations – this will not operate between 9am and 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Normal timetabled train services will run between Perth and Rockingham.
Transperth staff will be located at both the Mandurah and Rockingham train stations as well as on the foreshore. Main Roads and SGA staff will also be available to assist.
The Public Transport Authority have also provided information about the works on their website at www.pta.wa.gov.au/NewsandMedia/MediaStatements/tabid/121/Default.aspx.
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[11 January 2010]
Residents and businesses are invited to join a Community Reference Group (CRG) to provide local input into a project to improve safety along Orrong Road.
We are undertaking a project to review Orrong Road from Great Eastern Highway, Rivervale through to Roe Highway, Welshpool in order to identify possible short to medium term safety improvement options for the link.
This review will assess current crash patterns and use micro-simulation modelling (Paramics modelling) to review traffic patterns for the area surrounding Orrong Road. It will examine a number of scenarios, such as changes to signal timing, introduction of new signals and changes to intersection treatments at specific locations along Orrong Road. The review will also look at long-term road layout and capacity issues.
Nominations for the CRG from business representatives and local residents within this area are welcome.
Current representatives from the City of Belmont, the City of Canning and the Town of Victoria Park are involved in this study to provide advice and make their concerns known. It's now time to engage the community and ensure they have an opportunity to provide their input to identify the issues and contribute to the solutions.
The CRG will bring a diverse range of perspectives to the process and provide the opportunity for local community input. Members will identify and clarify issues to ensure the most suitable outcome is achieved for the communities surrounding Orrong Road. The outcomes will then be presented to the communities around Orrong Road.
Participation in the CRG will be voluntary and the first meeting will be held in February 2010 at Main Roads in East Perth. It is expected that a total of three meetings will be required, and a meeting date and time will be confirmed once the list of CRG participants is finalised.
Interested parties must have lived in the area for a reasonable period of time, and have an understanding of local issues. You will need to obtain a copy of the CRG guidelines and nominate in writing. Please contact our Community Relations Consultant Carolyn Walker to receive this information by either:
Phone: (08) 9450 1445
Fax: (08) 9450 1261
Post: PO Box 178 Como 6952
Email: icwalker@vianet.net.au
Nominations close 31 January 2010.
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Office of Road Safety transferred to Main Roads WA
[9 December 2009]
As part of the Government’s review of the Department of Premier and Cabinet. the Office of Road Safety was transferred to Main Roads effective from 1 July 2009. While the Office of Road Safety is currently hosted by Main Roads, we will provide administrative support to enable the Office of Road Safety to function in the same manner as it had previously done within the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Horseshoe Bridge Upgrade
[27 November 2009]
Perth’s Horseshoe Bridge will be closed from the 30 November to April 2010, from 9.30 am following the morning peak hour rush.
Main Roads urges road users to access the city via alternative routes. These alternative routes include the Sutherland Street Underpass and the Barrack Street Bridge, which has been temporarily converted to allow two southbound lanes into the City. The vehicle height clearance at Sutherland Street underpass is 3.7m, so vehicles over 3.7m will need to use Loftus Street.
To see the alternatives, please visit our Horseshoe Bridge Upgrade project page.
The project includes introducing one northbound and one southbound lane with a bus embayment on the bridge. This will meet the City of Perth’s goal to convert William Street to two-way traffic.
The current road surface on the Horseshoe Bridge is poor, and before any changes to the lane configuration can take place, a full concrete overlay and new running surface is needed to improve the ride and safety for vehicles in addition to prolonging the life of this significant structure.
Some demolition works are needed to remove the existing concrete deck prior to constructing the new deck slab, and these works will be undertaken at night to minimise the impact on Public Transport Authority staff located in the offices beneath the bridge.
The project requires the bridge to be closed to traffic, except peak period Transperth buses. Motorists will need to be patient and use alternative routes into the City.
Main Roads Confirms Highway Talks Were Held
[26 November 2009]
The Acting Commissioner of Main Roads WA Des Snook confirmed today that discussions had taken place on the prospect of creating road train turnaround bays on Great Eastern Highway (GEH), and that initial information provided by the agency to the Transport Minister in response to a parliamentary question was wrong.
Mr Snook said there had been discussions on the subject at officer level between Main Roads Goldfields-Esperance Region and regional staff at the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) immediately after the Boorabbin bushfires in 2008.
“Discussions were held in 2008 between Main Roads and DEC officers ahead of a Main Roads submission to the Federal Government for assistance in funding the construction of truck turnarounds on GEH,” Mr Snook said.
“The matter was again discussed amongst a range of issues at a meeting in October, 2009, attended by Main Roads, DEC, FESA, the WA Local Government Association and police on the broader issue of roadside bushfire mitigation.”
Mr Snook said the 2008 submission to the Commonwealth for funding for truck turnarounds was not successful.
He said a second similar submission this year was under consideration.
The submission is a part of a planned $11.6m in improvement works throughout the State, of which half is being sought from the Federal Government.
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[13 November 2009]
Main Roads recently launched its own Twitter page to provide timely information about incidents and events affecting the main road network, in the greater Perth area.
The publicly available service can be found at www.twitter.com/perth_traffic and has an RSS Feed facility available from the page.
The “Perth_Traffic” account has been established as a trial in an ongoing initiative to improve access to relevant road information to the public. The trial will run for a three month period, at which time it will be evaluated and a decision made on the future of Twitter as an effective communication tool to the public.
We therefore strongly encourage your feedback via our online feedback form or by email at enquiries@mainroads.wa.gov.au.
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[2 November 2009]
Main Roads welcomed input from community and business representatives in identifying potential concerns regarding stage two of the Dampier Highway duplication last week.
The Dampier Highway Duplication Community Reference Group (CRG) met in Karratha with both local and Perth-based Main Roads staff and were instrumental in providing local input into the highway design.
Project Director Brian Norris said the project followed on from Stage 1A and 1B, and would involve design and construction of 12.3 km of a dual carriageway highway from Balmoral Road West to Burrup Road incorporating cycle lanes on both directions, as well as intersections along the way.
“The project involves several intersections, a new bridge at Seven Mile Creek, strengthening work and guardrail modifications at the existing bridge, minor improvements to pedestrian links and amenity and improvements to the existing two lanes of Dampier Highway, subject to funding,” Mr Norris said.
WA Police, Dampier and Karratha residents, Karratha and Districts Chamber of Commerce, local government, airport, Pilbara Development Commission and Burrup companies were represented on the CRG.
“The CRG was extremely helpful in providing input on current traffic conditions which will assist us in developing the right treatments at the various intersections and along the road,” Mr Norris said.
“They provided local knowledge on drainage and flooding issues, airport access requirements during construction, the need for traffic signals, lighting along the highway, emergency access and problems with accessing the highway at peak times.
“One of the key intersections is Dampier Highway/Burrup Road, and the CRG are providing input into assessing options for this area including realignment of Dampier Highway so that it continues straight into the Burrup Road.
“We were advised that motorists from side roads were extremely frustrated in trying to access the highway at peak times, and how traffic signals at possibly three intersections would alleviate the problems by providing a break in the traffic. Dampier residents were concerned that a stop sign at the realigned Burrup Road intersection would be the traffic control measure included in the project as part of the realigned Burrup Road intersection, but we believe traffic lights will provide them with a much safer and more efficient access.
“The CRG also advised that it considered that acceleration lanes near Dampier Salt essential for safety, and the local police indicated their support for reduced speed limits between Madigan Road and Rubbish Tip Road. We are also looking at using local contractors where possible during construction.”
The group will meet again prior to Christmas to further discuss the design and associated risks. Following this, a design will be finalized for presentation to the Dampier and Karratha communities for during a community consultation program to be conducted in the next few months.
For further information about the project please visit the Dampier Highway - Stage 2 page.
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[28 October 2009]
Businesses, community members and landowners are being invited to comment on a proposed reservation for the Geraldton North South Highway from Brand Highway to the North West Coastal Highway intersection.
Main Roads Manager Road Planning Lindsay Broadhurst said that consultation commenced this week and would continue until 20 November 2009.
This highway will provide an alternative, future north south regional road route for the Geraldton area, and aims to remove regional through traffic, particularly heavy vehicles, from the existing North West Coastal Highway and Brand Highway within the Geraldton city area.
Both the Brand Highway and North West Coastal Highway (NWCH) carry a mixture of light and heavy vehicles, and there are various residential and commercial activities along these routes. There is increasing conflict between regional and local traffic that is resulting in reduced safety, amenity and efficiency, making the road less suitable for heavy vehicles.
The southern section of the route between Brand Highway and Geraldton Southern Transport Corridor (currently under construction) will provide a high standard link to the Geraldton Port, Narngulu Industrial Area and the proposed outer Narngulu – Oakajee Infrastructure Corridor.
The planning process has included input from the City of Geraldton-Greenough, the Mid West Development Commission, the Department of Planning, Department of Environment and the Main Roads Mid West Region.
“There is no funding to build the highway at this stage – we are in the planning phase to define the reservation for the future highway,” Mr Broadhurst said.
The highway will be a four lane divided highway with a central median, with provision for pedestrian and cycling facilities, and a mixture of grade separated interchanges and at grade intersections with most existing side road connections. The highway is planned to have no direct frontage property access and limited side road access, which is a critical safety requirement.
Residents and businesses located near the reservation area will receive a brochure containing a comment sheet that is being sent through a local delivery service to all properties and businesses. Landowners affected by the reservation have received letters and a brochure, including an invitation to discuss the project with Main Roads staff.
“It is critical to remember that this is a planning study, so people need to understand that there are no immediate plans to construct the road. The aim is to set aside a road reservation in the local planning scheme for the future.”
For further information about the project please refer to the Geraldton North South Highway Alignment project page.
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[9 July 2009]
As part of an ongoing review, we are changing the way we advise you of current roadworks, events, road closures and speed zoning changes to make it more interactive and helpful for you to find the information you are looking for.
The Roadworks Bulletin, which used to appear each week in the Sunday Times will now be provided through the Main Roads WA website with updates posted on a weekly basis. This change will also see the incorporation of any speed zoning changes across the metropolitan area.
We are currently working on several new innovative and cost effective ways in providing you with information on road works, events, road closures and speed zoning changes, which we hope to be functional by the end of 2009.
You can find these updates at the Roadworks & Road Closures page. We hope you find these updates easily accessible and welcome any comments or feedback on via our Complaints & Feedback form or on 138 138.
[17 April 2009]
The Premier has announced the creation of the new Department of Transport and the new Department of Planning from the restructuring of the Department for Planning and Infrastructure.
To find out more, please view the New Department of Transport Newsletter (2 page PDF 47 KB)
Future Integrated Services Delivery
The new arrangements for the provision of integrated asset management, network operations and road maintenance services will ensure the provision of these road management services after existing contracts expire. Find out more under Contracts > TNC Replacement.
Drive Safely in 2010
Get the latest safety tips and penalty information from the Office of Road Safety and the Police Traffic website.