Project Sheet Download
Project Objective
“To gain commitment from the State Government and Opposition to construct a Freeway bridge linking North Lake Road and Armadale Road and establish a dual carriageway along Armadale Road to the west of the Kwinana Freeway (Tapper to Warton Road).”
Estimated Cost
The South West Group is seeking the State Government to provide $150 million over the next term of government to deliver all three components of the congestion relief project, including $50 million for initial work required in the 2013/14 financial year.
Project Objective
“To gain commitment from the State Government and Opposition to construct a Freeway bridge linking North Lake Road and Armadale Road and establish a dual carriageway along Armadale Road to the west of the Kwinana Freeway (Tapper to Warton Road).”
Introduction
Over the last five years, there have been major changes associated with the area known as Cockburn Central and the land surrounding this activity centre. There has been significant growth in commercial, retail and residential development at Cockburn Central. Much of this growth has occurred since the opening of the Mandurah rail line in 2007, where the population within a 5 kilometre radius of Cockburn Central is expected to increase 50% over the ten year period from 33,991 (2006) to 51,126 (2015).
There has also been increased through traffic from the east and west in the movement of people and freight.
Population and traffic growth has led to severe local area congestion in and around Cockburn Central, including on connector roads, intersections and freeway on/off ramps. The area is commonly gridlocked during morning and afternoon peak periods. A proportion of the congestion is attributable to through traffic seeking to access Armadale Road, Beeliar Drive or North Lake Road.
There is no easy solution or “quick fix” to the congestion at Cockburn Central. It is clear that a suite of transport infrastructure and congestion reduction measures are required to adequately address congestion and traffic movement problems experienced at the locality.
Key Issues & Solutions
The Cockburn Central Congestion Relief Plan consists of three interconnected projects aimed at addressing the congestion and associated productivity losses at the locality, namely:
- Freeway bridge linking North Lake Road & Armadale Road
- Dual carriageway for Armadale Road, between Kwinana Freeway & Warton Road
- Additional freeway connections and connector distributors
Freeway bridge linking North Lake Road and Armadale Road
The freeway bridge linking North Lake Road and Armadale Road would enable traffic to bypass the busy Cockburn Central area around the existing Kwinana Freeway/Armadale Road/Beeliar Drive and North Lake Road/Beeliar Drive intersections. The alignment for the North Lake Road bridge passes to the north of Cockburn Central along Tea Tree Close before traversing the freeway and looping behind the Jandakot industrial area and connecting with Verde Drive, which connects to Tapper Road at Armadale Road
Main Roads Western Australia is currently preparing cost estimates for the North Lake Road bridge, with and without freeway connections. It is understood that preliminary cost estimates indicate an overpass bridge without freeway connections would cost in the order of $50M.
Dual carriageway for Armadale Road, between Kwinana Freeway and Warton Road
A dual carriageway for Armadale Road, between Kwinana Freeway and Warton Road, would be required to further relieve congestion and disperse traffic through the additional 
capacity of the road network system. The 3 kilometre section from Tapper Road (near Kwinana Freeway) to Warton Road (Segment 1) is the short term priority for the South West Group, noting that it may be more cost effective to construct the full 7 kilometre section of dual carriage way to connect with the existing dual carriageway at Anstey Road, Forrestdale (Segment 2). The cost of the 7 kilometre section is estimated at $120 million, with the 3 kilometre section from Tapper Road to Warton Road likely to be around $60 million.
In addition, Beeliar Drive opposite the Cockburn Central shopping centre is being upgraded to a 6 lane road (currently 4 lanes) and it will be important to ensure that Armadale Road to the east has sufficient capacity to accommodate additional traffic, without exacerbating the current bottlenecking situation.
Additional freeway connections and connector distributors
The North Lake Road bridge would benefit from having freeway connections to reduce the reliance on the existing freeway connections at Armadale Road and Beeliar Drive. It is understood that connector distributors would be required as direct freeway connections are not possible at this location.
Preliminary cost estimates indicate that up to $40 million may be required to construct the freeway connections and connector distributors for the North Lake Road bridge.
South West Group Position
The South West Group supports the suite of projects identified to relieve congestion at Cockburn Central. This secondary activity centre is planned to undergo further development over the next five years, which includes the establishment of a regional recreation and aquatic community facility. Measures to address current and future transport needs will ensure the area can attract investment and develop in a manner that supports its efficient operation through this growth phase.
Estimated Cost
The South West Group is seeking the State Government to provide $150 million over the next term of government to deliver all three components of the congestion relief project, including $50 million for initial work required in the 2013/14 financial year.
