Roe Highway

Roe Highway commences in Middle Swan within the City of Swan local government area (LGA) at Great Northern Highway at a traffic light controlled intersection as an eastern continuation of Reid Highway. Upon the highway's commencement it is carrying both State Route 3 (continuing from Reid Highway) and National Highway 95 (continuing from Great Northern Highway to the north). The highway then curves to the south, reaching Toodyay Road 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) later. From there the highway briefly borders the suburb of Stratton before entering Midvale, reaching another traffic light controlled intersection with Morrison Road 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) later. Only another 900 metres (3,000 ft) takes the highway to Great Eastern Highway at a modified diamond interchange with a northbound to eastbound loop ramp to cater for heavy vehicles. At this interchange, National Highway 95 terminates here, and simultaneously gains the National Highway 94 allocation, continuing from Great Eastern Highway to the east.

Following the Great Eastern Highway interchange Roe Highway is entirely within the suburb of Bellevue, getting to Clayton Street only 800 metres (2,600 ft) further on. It is a half diamond interchange with only a northbound exit and southbound entry ramp. Not any further from that interchange, the highway crosses the Helena River, sending the highway into the suburb of Hazelmere, passing under Bushmead Road, and reaching the Great Eastern Highway Bypass another 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Clayton Street. At this intersection National Highway 95 continues west on the Bypass. After 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi), Roe Highway enters the City of Kalamunda LGA, bordering the suburbs of High Wycombe and Maida Vale and then reaches Kalamunda Road at a dogbone interchange 1.1 kilometres (0.68 mi) later. Another 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) takes the highway to another half diamond interchange at Maida Vale Road, also with only northbound exit and southbound entrance ramps. 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) later, Roe Highway reaches Berkshire Road at a diamond interchange with a "tennis ball" configuration, with traffic cutting through the roundabouts rather than circulating around them. At the same time the highway enters the suburb of Forrestfield. Another 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi) takes the highway to Tonkin Highway. This major junction was originally a diamond interchange favouring Tonkin Highway, but is now a partial freeway-to-freeway interchange, with the left turns from Roe Highway free-flowing. There are plans to upgrade this junction into being a fully free-flowing interchange in the future.

Following the interchange at Tonkin Highway, Roe Highway now forms the boundaries of the City of Belmont and Kalamunda LGAs to the west and east, respectively, as well as their respective suburbs, Kewdale and Wattle Grove, before crossing freight railway lines and briefly entering the suburbs of East Cannington and Welshpool within the vicinity of the Orrong Road and Welshpool Road East interchange, within the City of Gosnells LGA, 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) further south from Tonkin Highway. Within this stretch the highway is four lanes southbound and three lanes northbound. Roe Highway is thereafter within the suburb of Beckenham, with the freight railway line travelling alongside the highway's eastern side. Roe Highway reaches Kenwick Link (a bypass of Albany Highway) 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi) further south. Midway through these interchanges, the highway passes under Brixton Street and the bypassed section of Albany Highway. A further 600 metres (2,000 ft) southwest of the interchange takes the freeway to the Canning River, which Roe Highway crosses over as the Djarlgarra Bridge, after which the highway is now bordering the suburbs of Langford and Thornlie. Roe Highway passes under Spencer Road before reaching Nicholson Road, 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) west of the river. The highway, which is now within the City of Canning and bordering the residential suburb of Parkwood and industrial suburb of Canning Vale, reaches Willeri Drive 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) further west, after which it is now bordering Willetton to the north, and then reaches South Street 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) further southwest. Following this interchange Roe Highway is now within the City of Cockburn and bordering the suburbs of Leeming and Jandakot, reaching Karel Avenue 3.1 kilometres (1.9 mi) further west. After 900 metres (3,000 ft), Roe Highway reaches a partial combination interchange (originally a trumpet interchange) at the junction of the Kwinana Freeway (this interchange lacks southbound-to-westbound and eastbound-to-northbound movements) in Bibra Lake; Roe Highway terminates at this interchange, continuing northwards as Murdoch Drive.

Roe Highway was first proposed in 1955 by Gordon Stephenson as part of what was to become the Metropolitan Region Planning Scheme. The highway was intended to form the southern and eastern sections of a ring route around the Perth metropolitan area.[1] In the 1950s, Stephenson planned for Roe Highway to continue westwards towards Fremantle, through South Fremantle along Marine Terrace and then north to connect with Stirling Highway and the Port of Fremantle. As part of the plan, in 1974 Stirling Highway was extended from its then terminus north of the Swan River southwards to Canning Highway. Over a period of approximately 20 years, Main Roads Western Australia procured land, and in 1985, Stirling Highway was extended southwards from Canning Highway to High Street (the western continuation of Leach Highway). The remaining 3 km (1.9 mi) strip of land south of High Street then became known as the Fremantle Eastern Bypass.

At the southern end of the proposed Fremantle Eastern Bypass, an 8 km (5 mi) east–west road reservation was proclaimed, and became known as Roe Highway stage 8 (or Roe 8). With a change of state governments in 2001, the planned Fremantle Eastern Bypass / Roe Highway stage 8 was cancelled, with a commitment by the government to sell the land reserved for the Fremantle Eastern Bypass. As part of the funding arrangement for Roe Highway stages 6 and 7, the federal government stipulated that the Roe Highway stage 8 reservation was to be retained.

Following a change in state governments in September 2008, planning work commenced on an extension of Roe Highway from Kwinana Freeway to Stock Road.[5] Parliamentary debate[6] continued in 2012 as the state government continued its intention to implement the plan.

Protesters against Roe 8

The plan was ultimately formalised as The Perth Freight Link in May 2014, a $1.6 billion project to improve the road freight link between Kewdale and Fremantle Harbour. In addition to the 5 km (3.1 mi) extension of Roe Highway, upgrades were also planned for Stock Road, Leach Highway, and High Street to provide a grade-separated route, bypassing fourteen sets of traffic signals.[7] The plan included mandatory GPS tracking of all vehicles over an undisclosed size or weight with a charge per kilometre applied for vehicles travelling in the area between Muchea and North Fremantle.[8] The extension would have taken the highway from its current terminus at Kwinana Freeway approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) further west to Stock Road, near Forrest Road in Coolbellup. The proposed route was along or within the vicinity of an existing road reserve in the Perth Metropolitan Region Scheme.[9]

In September 2015 the group Save the Beeliar Wetlands took legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), arguing that the EPA did not follow its own policies.[10] Preliminary works began on the project during November 2015, which drew protests with many people being given move-on orders preventing them from being in the area. On 16 December 2015 the Supreme Court handed down its findings: that because the EPA did not follow its published policies as it was legally obliged to, the approval of Roe 8 and the subsequent approval given by the environment minister Albert Jacobs were invalid.[10]

Noongar custodian Corina Abraham, on behalf of the local Whadjuk Noongar people filed writs against members of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs cultural committee and the current WA Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Peter Collier in the WA Supreme Court on 30 March 2016. The writs allege that they did not receive procedural fairness as both Abraham and her now deceased father were part of the group consulted in the original group consulted in the report which the committee later overturned to enable the project's approval. Abraham's lawyer Greg McIntyre QC (who had also been Eddie Mabo's lawyer) also sought an injunction to prevent the minister making any decisions based on the new recommendation until the matter is heard by the court.[11]

After the 2017 state election, the incoming McGowan Government stated it intended to scrap the entire project.[12][13] On 12 March, Main Roads and the contractors agreed to suspend work on the project.[14][15]

In early 2018 plans were revealed to extend Roe Highway to curve northwards to meet Murdoch Drive instead, with modifications made to the existing Kwinana Freeway interchange, converting it from a trumpet to a modified combination interchange though with no access from Kwinana Freeway south to Murdoch Drive west nor Murdoch Drive east to Kwinana Freeway north due to the nearby Farrington Road interchange providing the same required movements to enter/exit the freeway. A modified half diamond interchange between Murdoch Drive and Farrington Road/Bibra Drive was also constructed to provide an upgraded southern access to the Murdoch activity centre.[16] The project was completed on 20 April 2020.[17]

Gateway WA was a $1 billion project that upgraded the road network around Perth Airport. It was, at the time, the largest project Main Roads Western Australia had ever undertaken, covering the upgrade of Tonkin, Leach, and Roe Highways, and the construction of four new interchanges. The project was jointly funded by state and federal governments, which provided $317.5 million and $686.4 million respectively.[18]

As part of the project, Roe Highway's interchange with Tonkin Highway was upgraded, noise walls were erected along Roe Highway in High Wycombe, and a new interchange between Roe Highway and Berkshire Road was constructed.[18] The project was completed in April 2016.[19]

Work commenced in July 2019 to widen Karel Avenue to four lanes between Farrington Road and Berrigan Drive, including duplication of the bridge crossing the Roe Highway. Despite the interchange itself only opening in 2006, the $15 million upgrade was required due to the development of the Jandakot City project to the south of the interchange along with the construction of the Thornlie-Cockburn Link. This is due for completion in mid-2021.[20][21]

The $86 million project to convert the intersection of Roe Highway and Kalamunda Road to a dogbone interchange started in September 2019 as part of the progressive removal of at-grade signalised intersections along Roe Highway. This is due for completion in late 2021.[22] A staged extension of the Principal Shared Path (PSP) is also being built between the existing Berkshire and future Kalamunda Road interchanges. The Berkshire-Maida Vale Road section was completed in September 2020,[23] with the Maida Vale-Kalamunda section expected to open in tandem with the interchange itself.[24]

Planning and development of an interchange between Roe Highway and the Great Eastern Highway Bypass is also underway as part of a wider upgrade of infrastructure in the Hazelmere industrial area. Once completed there will be just two sets of traffic lights intersections south of the Great Eastern Highway.[25]