Freeway commuters are set to benefit from an additional lane on the northbound section between Hutton and Cedric streets.
A $15 million allocation has been included in the 2018-19 State Budget to get the project underway, with completion expected in early 2020.
The project will alleviate congestion where traffic can bank up back onto the freeway, creating safety hazards and significant time delays for motorists.
This latest Mitchell Freeway project involves widening the northbound lanes from the Hutton Street on ramp to the Cedric Street off ramp.
Traffic volumes show that about 25,000 vehicles are using this section of the Mitchell Freeway each day during the afternoon peak, which is well above capacity.
This upgrade complements the Stephenson Avenue project in Stirling, with $125 million of State and Federal Government funding allocated to help address chronic traffic congestion around the Cedric Street precinct.
Four other projects are soon-to-be underway on Perth freeways:
- Mitchell Freeway southbound widening – Cedric Street to Vincent Street (construction starts 2018);
- Kwinana Freeway northbound widening – Russell Road to Roe Highway (construction starts 2018);
- Kwinana Freeway northbound Smart Freeway – Farrington Road to the Narrows Bridge (construction starts 2018); and
- Kwinana Freeway southbound on-ramp from Manning Road (construction starts 2019).
In addition, the McGowan and Turnbull Governments have agreed to extend the Mitchell Freeway from Hester Avenue to Romeo Road, with the Federal Government so far committing $108 million to the project.
The series of freeway upgrades, along with the expansion of the rail network through METRONET, will ease congestion, create jobs and improve transport connectivity.