A $140 million investment jointly funded by the Australian and Western Australian governments will see the roll out of smart freeway technology along seven southbound freeway entry ramps on Perth’s Mitchell Freeway, from Reid Highway to Vincent Street.
A contract has been awarded to Intelligent Freeways Alliance, comprising of NRW, Service Stream Maintenance and WSP Australia, to deliver the project, as part of which the entry ramps will be modified to include the installation of co-ordinated ramp signals, managing the flow of traffic entering the freeway, improving safety and cutting travel times for commuters.
Other upgrades include construction of emergency stopping bays and ‘stopped vehicle detection’ technology, installation of CCTV cameras, lighting, safety barriers and drainage modifications, as well as 20 overhead electronic signs to provide driver information, display speeds in real time and advise motorists when a lane is closed ahead due to an incident.
Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, Paul Fletcher said the project was part of the Urban Congestion Fund.
“Under the Urban Congestion Fund, we are delivering 182 packages of work nationwide. The total number of projects that are now completed or underway nationwide is 78. By the end of 2022, more than 80 per cent of all packages are expected to be completed or under construction.
“This is just the latest example of us delivering on our commitment to progress critical infrastructure projects across the country under our record $110 billion, 10-year infrastructure investment pipeline, which is helping to drive Australia’s economic recovery.”
Western Australian Minister for Transport, Rita Saffioti said the upgrades are expected to save commuters travelling between Hodges Drive to Vincent Street up to seven minutes on their morning commute.
“We are continuing our transformation of the Mitchell Freeway – the extension to Romeo Road is well underway, work has already started on rolling out the smart freeway technology between Hester Avenue and Warwick Road and the widening between Hodges Drive to Hepburn Avenue has commenced.
“We are continuing to transform our northern suburbs with several major road projects completed and the METRONET Yanchep Rail Extension well underway, providing more transport options for commuters.”
Work is already underway on rolling out the technology southbound between Hester Avenue to Warwick Road.
When complete, the technology will run from Hester Avenue to Vincent Street, providing more reliable journey times to more than 50,000 motorists per day that use Mitchell Freeway southbound.
Related stories:
- $215M Mitchell Freeway extension underway in WA
- Preferred proponent chosen for $76M Mitchell Freeway Southbound
- $16.5M Mitchell Freeway upgrade complete in Western Australia