A 74-kilometre shared walking and riding route linking the Perth Central Business District with the city of Mandurah on the southwest coast of Western Australia is now complete, with the final 880-metre section between Leach Highway and Mount Henry Bridge delivered this week.
The $16-million Leach Highway to Mount Henry Bridge section, constructed by Georgiou, is part of the Western Australian Government’s Principal Shared Path (PSP) Expansion Program, which aims to create a safe riding network for Perth residents.
The priority PSPs up until 2023 will be within a 15 -kilometre radius of the Perth Central Business District, with a particular emphasis along the freeway and railway corridors.
From 2023 to 2031, the focus will move to the areas beyond the 15 -kilometre radius of the Perth central area to provide greater connectivity for Strategic Activity Centres.
Construction of the new 880-metre section started in early 2021 and required about 20,000 square metres of land to be levelled to build the new path within the freeway reserve.
The four-metre-wide shared path includes an underpass at Cranford Avenue, as well as 500 meters of upgraded path between Cranford Avenue and Mount Henry Bridge.
The underpass has been transformed by Perth artist Darren Hutchens, with the artwork focusing on the native flora and fauna of the foreshore location.
Western Australia Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the number of people riding in WA has grown substantially over the past five years.
“As we have seen with our record investment in cycling infrastructure, when we put the paths in place, people use them,” she said.
The expansion of the PSP network is a key action of the Western Australian Bicycle Network Plan.
The Plan also highlights the Fremantle Railway Line PSP between Perth and Fremantle as a high priority project. Filling the gaps in the Midland Railway Line PSP and extending the Mitchell Freeway PSP on both the eastern and western sides are also part of the Plan and at various stages of construction.
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