Smart Freeways

What's happening

Perth’s latest Smart Freeway is progressing on the Mitchell Freeway southbound between Hester Avenue and Vincent Street. Speed limits have been returned to 100 km/hr from Hester Avenue to Warwick Avenue with construction works still underway with day and night works requiring intermittent lane and full freeway closures, between Hepburn Avenue and Reid Highway. As well, gantries have now been installed along the freeway from Warwick Train Station through to Vincent Street.

Works delivered already include:

Construction of the additional lane between Warwick Road and Hepburn Avenue.
Construction of the concrete barrier along the median.
Ramp widening works at several on- and off ramps to install Intelligent Transport System technology, street lighting, drainage and barriers.
Changes to the Vincent Street on-ramp have been completed.

Subscribe to our project updates for the latest roadworks notifications' information or check our Travel Map to stay up to date.

Path upgrades

Work is under way to construct the Principal Shared Path (PSP) between Ocean Reef Road and Warwick Train Station, with existing sections being upgraded to meet current access and mobility standards.

Paths detours are in place to ensure the safety of path users, road users and our workforce. Signage displaying detour route maps is located at shared path entry points and work locations. Directional signage will guide cyclists through the detour routes.

Works progressing well

Many residents in Woodvale, Kingsley, Greenwood, and Warwick have experienced the noise wall benefits which help improve the amenity of their suburbs.

With project noise wall progress now close to completion, the noise wall painting program is well underway.

Works are still evident at the Hutton Street on-ramp in Osborne Park and include widening of the on-ramp and improvements to Cape Street, Hector Street and McDonald Street.

During the works, there will be traffic, pedestrian, cyclist and e-vehicle detours. Please allow additional time for travelling through the detour, drive to the conditions, and follow signage and directions from traffic controllers.

Stephenson Avenue Extension Project

This project is providing a new connection from Cedric Street to Scarborough Beach Road, including an interchange at Mitchell Freeway with a southbound Smart Freeway on-ramp, as well as new local road links to Ellen Stirling Boulevard.

View the Stephenson Avenue Extension project page here.

Scope

FAQ

WA Smart Freeways vs UK Smart Motorways

Overview

In 2020, Main Roads delivered one of the world’s most technologically advanced Smart Freeway projects which included an All-Lane Running (ALR) section from Canning Highway to Narrows Bridge on Kwinana Freeway northbound. Ever since, we have become the benchmark for other smart freeways, highways, or motorways to match.

In April 2023, the UK Government announced it will cancel all new All-Lane Running (ALR) Smart Motorway construction projects as they could not meet similar benchmarks as those adopted in Western Australia within the project constraints.

UK Smart Motorways have received a lot of publicity given this ban, but it is important for the public to understand the significant differences between UK Smart Motorways and Smart Freeways in WA, and the safety measures taken by Main Roads in implementation of different types of Smart Freeways in our state.

Whilst some of the technologies and techniques are similar, there are significant differences between Smart Freeway operations in the UK and WA.
Planning for WA’s Smart Freeways is about ensuring safety is at the forefront of the design of the freeway, that technology and operations are based on learnings from the UK and other Australian jurisdictions.
In the UK, the primary concern with Smart Motorways is where the emergency stopping lane (also known as hard shoulder) is replaced to become a running lane as part of the Smart Motorway. These are known as All-Lane Running (ALR) and Dynamic Hard Shoulder (DHS) sections which make up the majority of the UK’s Smart Motorways network.
In WA, the majority of the Smart Freeway network has, and will continue to have, an emergency stopping lane, in addition to emergency stopping bays. Dynamic Hard Shoulder (DHS) is not adopted in WA and All-Lane Running (ALR) is only used where there is no physical space available for the provision of an emergency stopping lane. This is currently limited to Kwinana Freeway northbound between Canning to Narrows Bridge. There are no ALR sections included within the scope of Smart Freeway Mitchell Southbound project currently in construction.
Where ALR is implemented in WA, our Smart Freeways include extensive safety measures specifically developed to mitigate concerns raised in the UK, including:
- Frequent Emergency Stopping Bays (approx. every 600m), this equates to one bay every 21.6 seconds at a speed of 100km/hr, with clear visible advance signage
- Stopped Vehicle Detection within Emergency Stopping Bays
- Electronic message boards to advise motorists of vehicles exiting Emergency Stopping Bays in the ALR section, and hence manage safe merging when required, in conjunction with overhead electronic signs,
- Automatic Incident Detection on the freeway mainline,
- Overlapping CCTV coverage,
- Dedicated Incident Response Service 24/7,
- Operational procedures to deal with emergencies and degraded operations,
- Queue Detection / Queue Protection to control traffic speed.

Roadworks

Karrinyup Road and Cedric Street on-ramp closure to Mitchell Freeway southbound

Monday 7, Thursday 10 and Friday 11 October
7pm to 5am each night
Various works
Detour
Travel Map

Mitchell Freeway southbound closure Karrinyup Road to Hutton Street

Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 October
9pm to 4am each night
On-ramps closed from 8pm
Various testing and works
Detour
Travel Map

Ongoing Works

Night-time lane closures on the Mitchell Freeway

Ongoing until November 2024
Nightworks are required at various locations along the Mitchell Freeway southbound to install Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) assets and test gantry signs.
Night-time lane closures (left-hand lane) between 10pm – 4am.
Work will be done under short-term localised traffic management.

Path closures

Changes to Hutton Street on ramp intersections

Community

Environment

We make every effort to minimise the impact of our project works on the surrounding environment.

Flora and fauna surveys were completed in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 to inform project planning and the design has maximised the retention of existing vegetation wherever possible, considering the constrained areas available for construction. We are currently conducting another flora and fauna survey between Reid Highway and Vincent Street, to ensure that all significant trees are protected during our clearing operations.

Most of the vegetation being cleared for this project was planted by Main Roads when the freeway was constructed, with the intention of removing it when freeway expansion was required.

Environmental approvals

An environmental proposal was submitted for a section of the works adjacent to the freeway in November 2020 to Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) for approval. The proposal was considered a controlled action under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in December 2020 and will be assessed under preliminary documentation by DAWE.

Below is the EPBC 2020/8833 referral documentation.

EPBC Referral - Part 1 - PDF (18.3 MB)
EPBC Referral - Part 2 - PDF (18.3 MB)
EPBC Referral - Part 3 - PDF (18.9 MB)
EPBC Referral - Part 4 - PDF (18.9 MB)
EPBC Referral - Part 5 - PDF (18.8 MB)
EPBC Referral - Part 6 - PDF (11.2 MB)

In accordance with Section 95A(3) of the EPBC Act, the preliminary documentation for the proposed action were made available for public comment from Thursday 8 July to Friday 23 July 2021.

On 5 October 2021, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) approved our application for a Native Vegetation Clearing Permit, under Section 51C of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (EP Act), to clear native vegetation for this section of the works.

To facilitate construction of the shared path and works on the Hodges Drive and Hepburn Avenue entry ramps, a small area of native vegetation will be cleared under the Main Roads state-wide clearing permit CPS818/15 issued by DWER.

To offset these impacts, in consultation with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) we are revegetating 7.1 hectares of Yellagonga Regional Park, in Woodvale. This work will start in May 2023 and be staged over several years to ensure the new plants can thrive. It will include areas of full revegetation, as well as a parkland buffer adjacent to local residential areas (as shown below).

Smart Freeway offset — Click image to enlarge

Main Roads have also acquired almost 32 hectares of native vegetation at Lake Clifton, which includes Tuart Woodlands and Black Cockatoo habitat, to be managed and preserved by DBCA.

Project Publications

Alleviate

pressure on local roads

Manage

traffic in real-time

Reliable

journey times

Smart Freeway - Mitchell Southbound

What's happening

Path upgrades

Works progressing well

Stephenson Avenue Extension Project

We are also upgrading and widening sections on the freeway including:

WA Smart Freeways vs UK Smart Motorways

Overview

Ongoing Works

Mitchell Freeway PSP between Hodges Drive and Ocean Reef Road

Mitchell Freeway PSP between Ocean Reef Road and Camarino Drive

Mitchell Freeway PSP between Burns Beach Road and Shenton Avenue

Mitchell Freeway PSP between Bromley Place and Twickenham Drive

Mitchell Freeway PSP between St Johns Court and Hepburn Avenue

Mitchell Freeway PSP between Kanangra Crescent and Darnley Avenue

Noise walls

Principal Shared Path (PSP)

Clearing and landscaping

Project updates

Project information

Media Statements

Funding

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)

Projects in the area

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project updates

Acknowledgement of country

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Smart Freeway - Mitchell Southbound

What's happening

Path upgrades

Works progressing well

Stephenson Avenue Extension Project

Ongoing Works

Find out how to use a Smart Freeway »

Acknowledgement of country

Tell us what you think