Tonkin Highway Extension

As part of development work undertaken over the past two years, the Tonkin Highway Extension project now includes:

• 14km extension of Tonkin Highway from Thomas Road to South Western Highway as a four-lane dual carriageway
• Underpass at Abernethy Road (road, pedestrian, cyclist, equine)
• Roundabouts at Orton Road, Mundijong Road and South Western Highway
• Underpass at Gossage Road (equine)
• Interchange at Bishop Road and Tonkin Highway (grade separation)
• Bridge over Wright Road and rail line
• Underpass at Shanley Road (road, other mode types under investigation)
• Principal Shared Path (PSP) running the full length of the Tonkin Highway project on the eastern side with connections to local path networks
• Also being considered but currently under investigation:
  • Upgrade to the Abernethy Road and Hopkinson Road intersection
  • Upgrade to the Tonkin Highway, South Western Highway, Jarrahdale Road and Shanley Road intersection

Funding was recently allocated for the Thomas Road Upgrade project, which includes:

• Thomas Road duplication from Tonkin Highway to South Western Highway
• Interchange at Thomas Road and Tonkin Highway (grade separation). View the Thomas Road Upgrade page for more information. 

State environmental approvals have been obtained for the Tonkin Highway Extension project under the Environmental Protection Act.

In accordance with Section 95A(3) of the EPBC Act, the Referral document and Preliminary Documentation for the proposed action was available for public comment from 18 June 2021 to 2 July 2021inclusive. No public submissions were received on the Preliminary Documentation.

In accordance with Section 95B(4) of the EPBC Act, a written statement noting that no comments were received, the EPBC referral document and the Preliminary Documentation were made publicly available for information for 10 business days from 23 July, 2021. No submissions were received through the second stage of advertising.

On 17 August 2021, DAWE provided conditional environmental approval for the proposal. Copies of the referral and Preliminary Documentation are available below.

Preliminary Documentation:

• Tonkin Highway Extension Preliminary Documentation - Part 1 (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Preliminary Documentation - Part 2 (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Preliminary Documentation - Part 3 (PDF)
• Appendix A - PD Request Further Information Letter signed (PDF)
• Appendix B -Layout Plan (PDF)
• Appendix C - Flora and Vegetation Survey (Woodman 2020) (PDF)
• Appendix D - Black Cockatoo Breeding Habitat Survey (Kirkby 2020) (PDF)
• Appendix E - Black Cockatoo Habitat Quality Assessment (PDF)
• Appendix F - Dieback Assessment (Glevan 2020) (PDF)
• Appendix G - Biological Survey Adequacy and Limitations (PDF)
• Appendix H -The Offset Strategy (PDF)
• Appendix I - Action Management Plan (PDF)
• Appendix J - Tetraria australiensis Fire Management Plan (PDF)

• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral 2019-8608 (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 1 - Appendix 1 Proposed Action Location Lot information (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 2 - Figure 1 Site Location (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 3 - Figure 2 Vegetation Association (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 4 - Figure 3 Vegetation Condition (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 5 - Figure 4 Threatened Flora and Ecological Communities (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 6 - Figure 5 Black Cockatoo Trees (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 7 - Figure 6 Black Cockatoo Trees with Hollows (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 8 - Figure 7 Black Cockatoo Foraging Habitat (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 9 - Figure 8 Regional Black Cockatoo Habitat (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 10 - Figure 9 Wetlands and Watercourses (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 11 - Mundijong Road Spring Flora Survey (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 12 - Ministerial Statement 595 (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 13 - Tonkin Hwy Black Cockatoo Assessment (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 14 - Tonkin Highway Extension Reconnaissance Flora Survey (PDF)
• Tonkin Highway Extension Referral Att 15 - Tonkin Highway Extension EIA Final (PDF)

Community and stakeholder engagement activities underway include answering enquiries from local residents, businesses, developers and interested stakeholders, finalising land dealing plans, completing land acquisition, resolving access for further geotechnical works, and engaging service providers to determine requirements.

We are working closely with the Shire of Serpentine- Jarrahdale and the Shire’s Equine Advisory Group to understand local issues and opportunities.

We thank the community for their patience as we work through planning and design issues, and the additional scope items, and commit to keeping them updated as this work progresses.

What is the project schedule?

A procurement strategy and timings are currently being developed in partnership with industry.

What is the status of the Tonkin Highway extension environmental approvals?

Conditional State environmental approval has been obtained for the project under the Environmental Protection Act. Approval of Management Plans and Strategies are yet to be received.

Conditional approval has been received from the Commonwealth for the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Approval of the Management Plans and Strategies are yet to be received.

Section 18 heritage approvals have been received for sites on Government land. Section 18 approvals will be obtained for private land following land acquisition.

Who is responsible for Thomas Road, east of Tonkin Highway?

Main Roads recently took over responsibility and is now responsible for the entire road.

Will planning work consider the extension of Tonkin Highway further south?

Extending Tonkin Highway south of Mundijong Road was included in the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) sub-regional planning framework and is considered a long-term proposal.

A short section of the future Tonkin Highway south of Mundijong Road will be planned for as part of the Tonkin Highway extension and potential freight rail realignment works.

However, no further planning work is currently funded to occur.

Will the intersections along the highway be grade separated with bridges?

The project includes a grade separated interchange at Bishop Road and Tonkin Highway, and various intersection upgrades along the alignment including roundabouts and underpasses.

The Thomas Road Upgrade project includes a grade separated interchange at Thomas Road and Tonkin Highway.

What types of intersections are being considered and access from local roads?

We are undertaking traffic modelling, which will help inform the type of intersections to be considered. The project scope currently includes:

• Roundabouts at Orton Road, Mundijong Road and South Western Highway.
• Underpasses are planned at Abernethy Road (road, pedestrian, cyclist, equine), Shanley Road (road), and Gossage Road (equine).

Also being considered but currently under investigation are:

• Upgrade to the Abernethy Road and Hopkinson Road intersection
• Upgrade to the Tonkin Highway, South Western Highway, Jarrahdale Road and Shanley Road intersection

Is there a connection from Hopkinson Road to Tonkin Highway?

No, there will be no connection provided from Hopkinson Road to Tonkin Highway. An upgrade to the Abernethy Road and Hopkinson Road intersection is currently under investigation.

Will Abernethy Road be connected to Tonkin Highway?

No, there will be no connection provided from Abernethy Road to Tonkin Highway. However, an equine and pedestrian / cyclist underpass is planned at this location to maintain east-west connectivity.

What equine, pedestrian and cyclist connectivity is being planned?

A Principal Shared Path (PSP) is planned along the full length of the Tonkin Highway extension on the eastern side with connections to local path networks.

The following underpasses are also planned:

• Underpass at Abernethy Road (road, pedestrian, cyclist, equine)
• Underpass at Gossage Road (equine)
• Underpass at Shanley Road (road, other mode types under investigation)

Additional investigations are underway to understand the Equine network between Wright Road and South Western Highway, in liaison with Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale.

Are there plans to reduce South Western Highway to one lane in each direction through Byford town site?

No, previous traffic modelling has concluded that with the expansion of the Byford, Cardup and Mundijong areas, South Western Highway will need to remain two lanes in each direction through the Byford town site, even with Tonkin Highway constructed.

What other works are happening on the local road network?

Funding was recently allocated for the Thomas Road Upgrade project, which will remove merge points along Thomas Road and reduce congestion bottlenecks, creating a safer road that can cope with the ever-increasing population in Serpentine and Jarrahdale. The scope includes:

• Thomas Road duplication from Tonkin Highway to South Western Highway
• Interchange at Thomas Road and Tonkin Highway (grade separation)

Other nearby projects include the METRONET Byford Rail Extension, Thomas Road Over Rail project, and Thomas Road Safety Improvements between Kwinana Freeway and South Western Highway.

Main Roads plans and undertakes roadworks on freeways, highways and some main roads, for example, Thomas Road west of Tonkin Highway. However, the wider local road network is managed by relevant shires or councils.

For information on local road improvements, contact the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale.

Project Updates

• Project Udpate - September 2022 - PDF (1.29 MB)
• Project Update - January 2021 - PDF (2.04 MB)
• Project Update - October 2020 - PDF (1 MB)
• Project Overview - June 2020 - PDF (2.38 MB)

Media Statements

• Industry workshop starts search for Tonkin Highway Extension contractor – 21 January 2021
• Roads budget delivers congestion busting solution and WA jobs  - 9 May 2019

Funding

The $755 million project is jointly funded by the Federal ($604 million) and State ($151 million) Governments. $290 million is also allocated to upgrade Thomas Road, bringing the total funding commitment to $1.045 billion.