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Funding delivered to widen Mitchell Freeway
20 November 2019
Federal and State representatives today announced funding to widen the Mitchell Freeway southbound from Hodges Drive to Hepburn Avenue.
After scrapping funding for the project in their last budget, the State Labor Government has answered the call to match the Federal Liberal Government’s $38 million funding commitment.
“Today’s announcement is a big win for commuters in the northern suburbs, particularly in my electorate of Moore,” Mr Goodenough and Mr Porter said.
Moore MP Ian Goodenough and Pearce MP Christian Porter, have been working together to gather community support for the project via an online petition.
“We want to thank all local residents who showed their support for this vital project by signing the petition at fundourfreeway.com.au.”
“The project is now fully funded and is scheduled to be constructed by 2021.”
“Not only will this project reduce travel times for commuters it will also stimulate the local economy by creating 530 jobs.”
The freeway widening is one of six new road and transport projects in Western Australia set to benefit from $868 million of federal funding over the next four years.
This infrastructure investment will also fast track eight critical road projects in order to create jobs, strengthen the economy and get people home sooner and safer.
Funding secured to widen Mitchell Freeway
15 April 2019
A string of congestion busting projects across Perth have been given the green-light by the Morrison Government under the $4 billion Urban Congestion Fund.
The Urban Congestion Fund eliminates local hotspots and alleviates traffic headaches across the country.
A number of projects will receive a total of about $40 million and include:
Widening works on the Mitchell Freeway from Hodges Drive to Hepburn Avenue, and from Reid Highway to Erindale Road;
Upgrading Gnangara Road to a dual carriageway standard between Henley Brook Avenue and Egerton Drive in Aveley;
Intersection upgrades at Henley Brook Avenue, Robert Street and Egerton Drive in Aveley
Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge said the projects would get the people of Perth home sooner and safer.
“We want people to be doing what’s important to them, rather than sitting in traffic,” Mr Tudge said.
“The Liberal Nationals Government have boosted investment in congestion-busting urban projects.”
“These projects also solidify our Government's firm commitment to ensuring Western Australia gets its fair share of infrastructure funding now and into the future.”
Federal Member for Pearce Christian Porter said the former State Liberal Government committed to widen the Freeway at two critical locations, but when WA Labor came to government in 2017 they scrapped the projects.
“These widening projects would have been finished by now if it wasn’t for WA Labor scrapping the funding,” Mr Porter said.
“I am very pleased the Federal Liberal Government is providing the funds to widen the Mitchell Freeway at two incredibly congested bottlenecks, getting people home to their families faster and safer.”
Federal Member for Moore Ian Goodenough said the investment in the Mitchell Freeway will bust congestion for the people of Moore.
“We want to improve life for all West Australians and these congestion busting projects will do just that.”
The projects build on an additional $1.6 billion of our Liberal Nationals Government's investment into critical road and rail infrastructure across Perth and regional Western Australia in the recent budget.
More than $9.8 billion has been invested by the Liberal National Government in West Australian road and rail infrastructure since coming into Government in September 2013, including $4.8 billion over the past two Budgets.
Funding for key WA infrastructure projects in the recent Budget also includes:
Level Crossing Removals
Oats Street/Welshpool Road/Mint Street Level Crossing Removal (Federal Government investment: $207.5 million)
Roads
Albany Ring Road (Federal Government investment: $140 million)
Fremantle Traffic Bridge (Swan River Crossing) (Federal Government investment: $115 million)
Tonkin Highway projects (Stage 3 extension; Great Eastern Highway to Collier Road; Kelvin Road, Hale Road and Welshpool Road East intersection upgrades) (Federal Government investment: $348.5 million of additional funding bringing our overall commitment to those three projects to $929 million)
Bunbury Outer Ring Road—Stages 2 and 3 (Federal Government investment: $122 million of additional funding taking our overall commitment to $682 million)
Roads of Strategic Importance Initiative
Western Australian section of the Newman to Katherine Corridor (Federal Government investment: $70 million)
Western Australian section of the Alice Springs to Halls Creek Corridor (Federal Government investment: $75 million)
Karratha to Tom Price Corridor (Federal Government investment: $248 million)
Wheatbelt Secondary Freight Network (Federal Government investment: $70 million)
Western Australian section of the Port Augusta to Perth (Federal Government investment: $50 million)
Pinjarra Heavy Haulage Deviation—Stage 1 (Federal Government investment: $22 million)
Urban congestion fund
Thomas Road and Nicholson Road in Oakford (Federal Government investment: $10 million)
Transforming Freeways—widening and introduction of Intelligent Transport System (ITS) (Kwinana and Mitchell Freeways) (Federal Government investment: $50 million)
Lloyd Street Extension (Federal Government investment: $20 million)
Abernethy Road Upgrade (Federal Government investment: $13.25 million)
Lakelands Station (Federal Government investment: $10 million)
Shorehaven Boulevard/Marmion Avenue Intersection Upgrade (Federal Government investment: $2.5 million)
More Parking Bays at Mandurah Station (Federal Government investment: $16 million)
Major Project Business Case Fund
Future Road and Rail Connections for Perth (Federal Government investment: $25 million)—to investigate future road and rail links to support the growth of the transport network in Perth
Westport project (Federal Government investment: $10 million)—development of business cases and corridor preservation to support the Westport: Port and Environs Strategy, which is currently being developed by the WA Government.
Community power forces WA Labor to honour deal
17 March 2019
Federal Member for Pearce, Christian Porter, says the Mitchell Freeway extension to Romeo Road will start construction next year, after WA Labor finally agreed to honour their promise to fund 50% of the extension.
“Thank you to everyone who signed my petition calling on WA Labor to stick to the original deal and fund their half of this critical project,” Mr Porter said.
“It is our community’s perseverance that will see this project become a reality, getting each person who uses the Freeway home faster and safer.”
Mr Porter launched a campaign to get the Mitchell Freeway extended to Romeo Road in 2017 after the Federal Liberal Government-funded extension to Hester Avenue was opened.
“The Federal Liberal Government secured $108 million for the extension of the Freeway to Romeo Road, which led WA Labor to promise to provide the other half of the funding in April last year.
“They then broke that promise and now after 12 months of community pressure they are making the promise again – the extension could have been built by now if they had kept their promise in the first place.
“This type of game playing is shameless – the only people WA Labor are hurting are those people stuck in traffic trying to get home to their families, and WA Labor isn’t fooling anyone.”
Mr Porter said the next step was to get WA Labor to reverse their decision to scrap the widening of the Mitchell Freeway southbound between Hepburn Avenue and Hodges Drive.
“They cut $74 million from widening projects, including at one of the Freeway’s worst bottlenecks, meaning people will spend more time in traffic every morning just trying to get to work.
“If WA Labor really cared about people in our northern suburbs they wouldn’t be celebrating, they would be working hard to get that funding restored.”
Labor's Mitchell Freeway Backflip
29 January 2019
In April of last year, the Federal Liberal Government and WA Labor reached a deal to jointly fund the Mitchell Freeway extension to Romeo Road on a 50-50 funding basis.
However, not two weeks after this agreement was made, WA Labor appeared to be backflipping out of the deal. This is despite the Federal Liberal Government allocating $107.5 million for the extension in the 2018-19 Federal Budget.
You can help hold WA Labor to account so that we can make this critical project a reality. Sign the petition here.
Local MPs unite to Fund Our Freeway
Christian, Ian & Mayor Tracey Roberts recently hosted Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher on a visit to Hester Avenue.