Premier Mark McGowan and Transport Minister Rita Saffioti visited the Leach Highway and Welshpool Road intersection today, with planning work and consultation underway for the $93 million upgrade.
The McGowan Government has committed $46.5 million to fix the busy intersection, one of Perth’s top 10 ranked intersections for crashes and congestion costs.
The intersection is the second-worst intersection in the State for crashes and is ranked Perth’s 7th most congested intersection.
The project includes a grade-separated interchange with a new bridge at Leach Highway travelling over Welshpool Road.
The project scope also proposes to duplicate the Leach Highway road bridge over the Armadale rail line.
The area is heavily congested during peak periods, with more than 50,000 vehicles travelling through the intersection each weekday.
There have been 219 crashes recorded at the intersection between 2014 and 2018, including 196 rear-end collisions.
The Leach Highway and Welshpool Road Interchange Project is jointly funded by the Australian ($46.5 million) and State ($46.5 million) governments.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
“This is a notorious intersection and local road users will be well aware of the congestion during peak times. These upgrades are long overdue and will make a huge difference to those who use these roads on a regular basis.
“My Government is getting on with the job of easing congestion across Perth’s suburbs, to improve safety and reduce travel times for motorists.”
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
“Plans have come and gone to address this congestion hotspot, however we are now at capacity and it’s time to fund a solution that will be developed and built.
“The project will ensure our existing transport infrastructure is optimised to connect people to jobs and goods to markets, unlocking opportunities for economic development.
“Planning and development work and stakeholder consultation is now underway to inform the approvals process, allowing construction to begin as soon as possible.”
As stated by Belmont MLA Cassie Rowe:
“Leach Highway is an important east-west freight link connecting the Fremantle area with the Kewdale/Welshpool industrial area.
“Building a grade separated interchange will reduce congestion, and deliver more consistent and reduced journey times for people in my electorate.
“The Leach Highway and Welshpool Road Interchange Project will improve safety for all road users at this critical junction in Perth’s transport network.”
