Tonkin Gap Project and Associated Works

Tonkin Highway – Collier Road to Dunreath Drive, including Guildford Road interchange

Upgrading the highway with additional lanes, new interchanges, bridges and a shared path between Collier Road and Dunreath Drive.

Tonkin Highway will be transformed to deliver a high standard, north-south transport link from Muchea to Mundijong.

The Tonkin Gap Project will address the current bottleneck where the highway reduces from three lanes to two lanes in Bayswater and Redcliffe, significantly reducing travel times and improving safety. We will also be making improvements to access and connectivity for road users, pedestrians and cyclists in the project area.

The Associated Works will provide rail-enabling works for the METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line along Tonkin Highway, including underpasses and dive structures, to enable trains to enter and travel along the median of Tonkin Highway then exit in Malaga. Road and bus bridges will be built at Broun Avenue to provide access to the future Morley Station.

The upgrades are expected to save road users up to 6 minutes of travel time during morning peak and up to 11 minutes of travel time during afternoon peak.

The preliminary concept includes:

Widening Tonkin Highway to provide new lanes in each direction from Dunreath Drive to Collier Road, as well as new roads linking Guildford Road and Great Eastern Highway
New bridges over the Swan River, Dunstone Road, Guildford Road, Railway Parade
New fully grade-separated Principal Shared Path (PSP) on the western side of Tonkin Highway from north of Guildford Road interchange to approximately Stanton Road with local connections
Noise walls
Upgraded lighting and intelligent transport systems (ITS) infrastructure

What's Happening

Roadworks

Environment

This is a very constrained site and there is no way we can build the required infrastructure without clearing vegetation. However, we are committed to minimising the extent of clearing and are exploring opportunities for local and regional environmental offsets. Any clearing will also be undertaken with appropriate State and Federal government approvals.

Where an area of ground is disturbed and not finished with a sealed surface, such as asphalt, revegetation works will be undertaken. This will include a variety of native vegetation species, including trees.

Project approvals from environmental regulators including the Environmental Protection Authority of WA (EPA), Department of Water and Environment Regulation, Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has been obtained for the project. All relevant works approvals from appropriate agencies including Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attraction, where the Swan River Trust is housed, Department of Water and Environmental Regulation for groundwater and contamination issues and local government authorities for out of hours approvals will be sought.

Flora and Fauna

Environmental consultants were engaged to complete a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Tonkin Gap Project, which included the Swan River and land within the road reserve on both sides of the Swan River within the alignment of Tonkin Highway.

The assessment included a detailed flora and vegetation assessment, a Black Cockatoo and fauna habitat assessment including inspection of mature trees to record habitat and breeding trees suitable for use by Black Cockatoo species, and a water insect, water and sediment survey of the Swan River. While potential Black Cockatoo nesting trees were identified during surveys, none with suitable hollows were found.

We would prefer not to have any impact on nesting cockatoos. We will be looking for all potential solutions to avoid this. Where we do need to remove such a tree, our Environment Team will inspect the trees prior to check if any cockatoos are nesting and relocate if necessary. We are consulting with community before vegetation within the project area is cleared.

The Tonkin Gap Project was referred to the WA Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) in 2019, and both the EPA and DAWE determined that the potential impacts of the project are not significant and does not require further assessment.

Park and foreshore changes

An area of Selby Park has always been reserved for a Tonkin Highway upgrade under the State Government’s Metropolitan Region Scheme (MRS). This will be required to build the new loop ramp from Great Eastern Highway. We are working closely with the City of Belmont to minimise the impact and determine how best to reinstate the park at the conclusion of the works.

We have identified an area under the Redcliffe Bridge, on the City of Bayswater side, that we could enhance. We are already working with the City of Bayswater and other State Government agencies to consider opportunities in this location. Suggestions from stakeholders and the community have included a skate park, fishing platforms and shared path facilities. Further consultation with local government, stakeholders and the community will be undertaken.

Sustainability

What is Infrastructure Sustainability?

Infrastructure sustainability is infrastructure that is designed, constructed and operated to optimise environmental, social and economic outcomes of the long term.

To support our commitment to driving positive sustainable outcomes, we are applying the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia’s (ISCA) V2.0 Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) rating framework for the design and construction phases of this project to assess the project.

This is an industry-benchmarking tool that has been developed in consultation with the industry to embed sustainable practices in every aspect of infrastructure design, construction and operation. The process is evidence based and we will provide the full assessment to ISCA at the end of each phase to be independent verified by a third party. Following this, the project will be awarded with a certification and rating which can be assessed against other major infrastructure projects across Australia.

Our Sustainability Commitment

Sustainability is a key focus for the project that we have considered during the design and construction phase of the project. We have developed a Tonkin Gap Project & Associated Works Sustainability Policy to reflect our commitment to addressing sustainability issues including growth and economic benefit, efficient resource use, sustainable procurement, and community and stakeholder influence.

Project Objectives and Targets

We have used the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to guide the consideration of key focus areas of sustainability for the project. An internal multi-disciplinary team has developed Sustainability Focus Areas from key sustainability issues on the project. These focus areas help guide the identification of key risks and opportunities for the project.

From these objectives we have also identified sustainability targets to ensure sustainability is front of mind during design, construction and operation. We will be monitoring our achievement as the project progresses.

Sustainable Development Goals summary survey – have your say

In assessing the relevance and importance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to the project, we considered performance against the goals on a national level and at a state level. This information sheet summarises what you need to know about how the project aligns with the global sustainability agenda. The goals are also linked to our project sustainability objectives.

For further information on the UN SDG’s visit online.

Community

We will be engaging with local government, stakeholders, residents and businesses as we progress the detailed design, from mid-2020.

Opportunities to participate in consultation activities will be advertised to our project subscribers. Subscribe to project updates here.

Noise and screen walls

A noise wall is a structure built between the road and a residential property. It improves amenity for surrounding residents by reflecting sound waves from the road, forcing sound to travel over and around the edges of the walls, thereby reducing the amount of noise that reaches nearby homes.

Screen walls protect residents’ privacy from passing traffic at the rear of their property only. We will consider screen walls in cases where the construction has reduced the existing level of privacy.

As part of this project, we expect to build noise or screen walls adjacent to most residential areas. The design and location of these will be finalised as part of the detailed design process. We have done noise modelling across the project area and noise mitigation would apply for areas that will be impacted by noise. We will ensure our noise mitigation meets the State Planning Policy 5.4 guidelines for acceptable noise levels.

If we need to construct noise or screen walls on property boundaries, the contractor will engage with individual property owners.

The team is still in early stages of design, but we are looking at options to reduce the noise from Redcliffe Bridge, which may include noise walls. We will continue to discuss options with the community while we work through this process.

Property Condition Surveys

If your property falls within the area that meets the criteria for a survey, you will receive a letter in the mail. If you believe your property has been damaged and you are not eligible for a property survey, please contact our team.

Dust and Vibration

You might feel vibrations and experience noise, but we will work with you to reduce noise impacts as much as possible – including considering the hours we work, type of equipment and machinery we use and noise walls. We have dust mitigation strategies to reduce the impact of dust on residents and businesses – including water carts, street sweepers and dust suppressants.

Road trains will continue to use Tonkin Highway. There are no current plans to revise the RAV access network arrangements.

Timeline

Project History

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Procurement

Companies who wish to provide goods or services to Tonkin Gap will need to align with our commitments and complete a form below to be considered. A pre-qualification process may be requested following evaluation.

Tonkin Gap Project and Associated Works

Tonkin Highway – Collier Road to Dunreath Drive, including Guildford Road interchange

Christmas and New Year

Vegetation clearing

Principal Shared Path work

Contract Awarded

Environment

Flora and Fauna

Park and foreshore changes

Noise and screen walls

Property Condition Surveys

Dust and Vibration

Project information and updates

Media Statements

Funding

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project updates

Procurement

Acknowledgement of country

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Tonkin Gap Project and Associated Works

Tonkin Highway – Collier Road to Dunreath Drive, including Guildford Road interchange

Alleviate pressure on the transport network

Reduce travel times

Improve safety and connectivity

Subscribe to project updates

Procurement

Acknowledgement of country

Tell us what you think

Subscribe to
project updates