Labor pledges to fix ‘WA’s worst intersection’ in heart of northern suburbs
Labor has promised a $450 million upgrade of the state’s worst intersection for crashes as it attempts to shore up votes in Perth’s northern suburbs.
Speaking in Balcatta on Tuesday, Premier Roger Cook pledged $225 million to grade separate the Reid Highway and Erindale Road intersection, with the expectation the Commonwealth would fund the remaining half of the project’s cost.
The grade separation was the centrepiece in a package of northern suburbs road upgrades Labor has committed to, including an additional right-turn lane on Wanneroo Road leading into Warwick Road.
According to Main Roads WA data, the Balcatta intersection is the worst in the state for crashes, with 263 incidents over the past five years – 76 of which caused injuries.
It is also one of the most congested roads in the state, with government figures estimating it costs the economy $21.3 million per year in lost productivity.
The state predicted daily traffic volumes would increase from 60,000 in 2025 to 111,000 by 2054.
“[The upgrade] will have new ramps and … grade separate to make sure that there’s free-flowing traffic into the future,” Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said.
$43 million of northern suburbs road upgrade commitments
- Warwick Road – Additional right turn lane on Wanneroo Road, left turn lane modifications on Wanneroo Road, and turn lane extensions
- Hepburn Avenue – Widening the median of Hepburn Avenue to enable a double right turn. Median widening on Wanneroo Road to enable double right turn from Wanneroo Road northbound to Hepburn Avenue westbound
- Gnangara Road – Advanced detector loops to improve queue detection and signaloptimisation.•
- East Road – Realigning Wanneroo Road southbound carriageway further to the west, to bring forward to give way line on East Road to improve sight lines
- Whitfords Ave to Gnangara Rd connection – Planning to complete concept design work for the Whitfords Ave to Gnangara Road connection
- McGilvray Avenue and Morley Drive – $4 million to fix the intersection
- Craigie Leisure Centre Whitfords Avenue – $3.5 million to build a roundabout and create a new access road into Pinnaroo ValleyMemorial Park
When asked why the government would not commit to the upgrade ahead of the election, Saffioti said her government had spent billions on infrastructure already and this was the next key project.
