Minister for Transport; Planning; Lands Your ref: A686159 Our ref: 72-11125 Hon M Swinbourn MIC Chair Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs
[email protected] Dear Mr Swinbourn PETITION NO 56 - WANNEROO ROAD AND JOONDALUP DRIVE INTERCHANGE Thank you for your letter dated 10 May 2018 inviting me to comment on the above petition. I acknowledge there are strong views in the community on this project. The Wanneroo Road and Joondalup Drive Interchange is a future-focused solution to support current and projected levels of traffic resulting from residential and industrial development in Perth s northern suburbs. The upgrade will remove bottlenecks and reduce travel times on Wanneroo Road. This road is currently used as an alternative route to the Mitchell Freeway, and Joondalup Drive - a significant east-west access corridor between Mitchell Freeway, Joondalup City Centre and the expanding residential communities to the east of Wanneroo Road. The replacement of a busy signalised intersection with a free flowing interchange will provide immediate safety benefits and shorter, more predictable journey times for all road users. In response to the specific claims made in the petition, I can advise as follows: Project Rationale and Future Congestion Levels The interchange project is required to address projected levels of congestion that will arise due to residential and commercial expansion in Perth’s northern corridor. While we acknowledge that the intersection is currently operating at an acceptable level of service following the extension of Mitchell Freeway to Hester Avenue (and the minor works undertaken at the existing intersection), within five years congestion levels will worsen and associated levels of service will deteriorate significantly.