Work on Reid Highway bridge begins

The bridge beams for the new Reid Highway bridge over the Western Australia’s Mitchell Freeway will be installed this weekend.

Over the weekend of November 7 and 8, a total of 8 bridge beams measuring up to 44.5 metres long and weighing up to 162 tonnes each will be lifted into place using a 600-tonne crane.

The $108 million join Australian and Western Australian Government funded project is one of nine projects, receiving a total of $499.1 million, under the National Partnership on Infrastructure Projects in Western Australia.

“When completed the new bridge will provide two lanes in each direction, resulting in immediate safety and efficiency gains, along with greater capacity in the future as traffic increases,” said Federal Minister for Major Projects, Territories and Local Government Paul Fletcher in a statement.

The Reid Highway duplication project also includes the widening of Reid Highway to include dual lanes in both directions between Erindale Road and Duffy Road. It is part of a much larger $108 million project which includes a new interchange at the junction of Reid Highway and Malaga Drive, and the widening of Reid Highway from Marmion Avenue to Duffy Road.

Western Australian Minister for Transport Dean Nalder also said in a statement that the work was part of an integrated transport plan to improve traffic for freight and general motorists.

Mr. Nalder said this section of the highway was a known congestion point and carried about 30,000 vehicles per day. By 2031, it will carry about 59,000 vehicles per day.