The $8.5m duplication of a section of one of the City’s most important east-west connector roads is now complete, improving safety, traffic flow and reducing congestion through the Bibra Lake industrial area and Yangebup.
Spearwood Avenue has increased from one to two lanes in either direction between Barrington Street and Beeliar Avenue in a year-long project that included the vital duplication of the bridge over the rail freight line.
The project is another significant improvement to this key transport route for residents, visitors and the business and commercial community. It takes City spending over the past decade on improvements to Spearwood Avenue between Stock Road and Beeliar Drive to around $20m.
Since 2008, the City has also spent around $2m on Sister City/Friendship Way improvements and general landscaping on Spearwood Avenue between Beeliar Drive and Cockburn Road.
The local business community will also benefit from greatly improved traffic flows achieved by the upcoming Karel Avenue duplication project (Farrington Road to Berrigan Drive) in a $5.5m joint funding agreement between the City and Jandakot Airport, as part of the Main Roads WA (MRWA) total project delivery cost of $30m.
“The Minister is expected to announce the successful contractor sometime this month,” City of Cockburn Engineering and Works Director Charles Sullivan said.
“The duplication project will greatly ease congestion in peak hours for traffic entering and exiting the airport precinct as well as improving access and egress to Roe Highway.
“The City is also about to spend $8.5m on the extension of Verde Drive and Prinsep Road to connect to the Armadale Road upgrade project (Tapper Road to Kwinana Freeway) which is a major project to be delivered by MRWA over the next few years.
“This will allow the establishment of a free flowing road network in the light industrial area of Cockburn Central East to improve current congestion and access to and from Cockburn Rail Station car park.”
To complete the Spearwood Avenue duplication, the State Government provided $2.46m, the Federal Government $2.10m and the City of Cockburn about $4m. An extra $657,000 was needed to cover service relocations and MRWA costs.
The entire project included road construction, street lighting (Western Power), Telstra cables, stormwater drainage, line-marking/signage (MRWA), landscaping, and traffic, environment and stakeholder management.
Mayor Logan Howlett said the City’s partnerships with the Federal and State governments, the private sector and other local governments continued to provide opportunities for important infrastructure needs that benefitted the whole community.
“Improving travel times across the City is at the forefront of our forward planning which reflects major roads works with the Armadale Road Bridge, duplication of Armadale Road and associated works that resulted from partnering with the City of Armadale,” Mayor Howlett said.