Roe Highway

Updated on Nov 14, 2023

Edit

Comment

Type Highway Length 40 km		Opened 1980s

Route number(s) State Route 3 (All sections) National Highway 95 (Middle Swan – Midvale) National Highway 94 (Midvale – Hazelmere) Northeast end Reid Highway (State Route 3), Middle Swan Southwest end Kwinana Freeway (State Route 2), Bibra Lake Major suburbs Midvale, Hazelmere, Forrestfield, Kewdale, Welshpool, Canning Vale, Leeming, Jandakot Major cities Perth, Midland, Cannington

Protesters continue to fight the extension of perth s roe highway

Roe Highway is a 35 km (22 mi) limited access highway and partial freeway in the south-eastern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking Middle Swan in the north-east with Bibra Lake in the south-west. It is primarily allocated State Route 3 and forms half of Perth's outer ring road along with Reid Highway, which it joins onto at its northern terminus.

Map of Roe Hwy, Western Australia, Australia

The highway is one of the key heavy vehicle routes in the Perth metropolitan area. Aside from intersections, the speed limit is 100 km/h (62 mph) for most of its length. Twenty kilometres (12 mi) of the highway, between Kwinana Freeway and Tonkin Highway, is a continuous freeway, with grade-separated interchanges and free traffic flow. The rest of the highway is the standard of Perth's major highways; limited access, with few grade separations and traffic lights.

Roe Highway is multiplexed with National Highway 94 from Great Eastern Highway Bypass to Great Eastern Highway, and also National Highway 95 from Great Eastern Highway to Great Northern Highway.

Route description

Most junctions on the highway are grade separated diamond interchanges south-west of Tonkin Highway, and at-grade traffic light controlled intersections to the north-east of Tonkin Highway. The exceptions are at: Great Eastern Highway, a modified diamond interchange with a northbound to eastbound loop ramp; Clayton Street and Maida Vale Road, which are grade separated, but with only northbound exit and southbound entry ramps; and the terminus at Kwinana Freeway, a trumpet interchange. There is a diamond interchange at Tonkin Highway, with the free flowing traffic on Tonkin Highway, and traffic light controlled intersections on Roe Highway at the entry and exit ramps.

History

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. It is named in honour of John Septimus Roe, who arrived in Western Australia in 1829 and served at the first state Surveyor General of Western Australia for 41 years.

Work began in 1981, with the first section between the Beechboro-Gosnells Highway and Bushmead Road opening in 1983. The next section, from Bushmead Road to Great Eastern Highway was opened in 1984. The third stage, linking Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern Highway opened on 14 December 1988, at the same time as the Great Eastern Highway Bypass opened. The state Minister for Transport, Bob Pearce was assisted in the opening ceremony by Jason and Rachael Roe, two of the sixth generation of the Roe family to live in Australia and descendants of John Septimus Roe. The new roads provided a limited access dual carriageway bypass of the historical Guildford and Midland districts that was much needed at the time.

In 1994, the highway was extended 2 km (1.2 mi) further southwards from Tonkin Highway to Welshpool Road. Following 7 years in hiatus, work recommenced, and in 2001 a new 4 km (2 mi) southwestern extension known as stage 4 was completed from Welshpool Road to the purpose-built Kenwick Link (an Albany Highway bypass built in 1998) – most of which replaced the overtaxed William Street in Beckenham. Work on the 3 km (1.9 mi) long stage 5 was undertaken simultaneously with stage 4, bringing the highway to Nicholson Road in 2002.

Stage 6, a 5 km (3 mi) extension from Nicholson Road to South Street was completed in 2004, with stage 7 being announced shortly afterwards. The 4.5 km (3 mi) stage 7 extension from South Street to Kwinana Freeway was completed in March 2006, at a cost of A$75m, and represents the highway's current southwestern terminus.

The 19 km (12 mi) of road built since 1994 between Tonkin Highway and Kwinana Freeway, is to a freeway standard. It may in the future be upgraded to a freeway classification.

In June 2012, the new grade separated interchange opened at the Great Eastern Highway intersection, allowing free flowing traffic on Roe Highway over Great Eastern Highway. The design includes a northbound to eastbound loop ramp to cater for heavy vehicles, and three pedestrian underpasses.

Stage 8 / Fremantle Eastern Bypass

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. 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. 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 has now commenced on an extension of Roe Highway from Kwinana Freeway to Stock Road. Parliamentary debate was continuing in 2012 as the state government continued its intention to implement the plan.

Gateway WA

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.

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

Perth Freight Link

The Perth Freight Link is a $1.6 billion project to improve the road freight link between Kewdale and Fremantle Harbour. The project includes a 5 km (3.1 mi) extension to Roe Highway (known as Roe 8), as well as upgrading Stock Road, Leach Highway, and High Street to provide a grade-separated route, bypassing fourteen sets of traffic signals. The links plan includes mandatory GPS tracking of all vehicles over an as yet undisclosed size or weight with a charge per kilometre being applied for vehicles travelling in the area between Muchea and North Fremantle. The extension will take 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 is along or within the vicinity of an existing road reserve in the Perth Metropolitan Region Scheme.

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. 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.

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.