| Mitchell Freeway | |
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| Freeway heading north through Gwelup and Balcatta | |
| Length | 33 km (21 mi) |
| General direction | North-South |
| From |  Burns Beach Road, Currambine, Western Australia |
| via | Joondalup, Kingsley, Duncraig, Warwick, Gwelup, Osborne Park, Leederville, West Perth |
| To | Kwinana Freeway, Perth, Western Australia |
| Allocation | part of State Route 2 |
| Major junctions | Riverside Drive, Wellington Street, Charles Street, Karrinyup Road, Erindale Road, Perth, Reid Highway, Warwick Road, Hepburn Avenue, Whitfords Avenue, Ocean Reef Road
for full list see Major Interchanges |
Mitchell Freeway is a 33-kilometre (21 mi) long major arterial road in Perth, Western Australia linking Perth with the northern suburbs. The freeway currently extends north to Burns Beach Road, Currambine. The speed limit is generally 100 kilometres per hour, except in central Perth where the speed limit is 80 kilometres per hour. Southbound, the 80 kilometre per hour area begins near the Graham Farmer Freeway; northbound it ends near the Vincent Street exit. The Mitchell Freeway is allocated Route 2. The Joondalup railway line runs in the freeway median. A shared pedestrian and bicycle path is built alongside almost the entire freeway. The freeway is mostly 6 or 8 lanes south of Hepburn Avenue; from that point north it is mostly 4 lanes; extending to 6 between Hodges and Shenton. It also forms the borders of most of the suburbs through which it passes.
The freeway is named after former state Premier and Governor Sir James Mitchell.
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History
The Mitchell Freeway began as part of the Metropolitan Region Scheme in the mid-1950s. Its original proposed name was the Yanchep Highway, as this is where the freeway was (and still is) planned to end. The original planned route, as advertised in newspapers in 1961 and 1962, took the freeway inland from what is now Karrinyup Road to the intersection of Wanneroo and Balcatta Roads. The section between the Narrows Bridge and Sutherland Street, commenced in 1967 and completed in 1973, was referred to as "the western switch", and functioned only as a distributor for Narrows Bridge traffic accessing the CBD or areas further north.
Several stages were built through the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. In the 1970s, the freeway was extended firstly to Vincent Street - slicing the suburb of Leederville in two - and then to Hutton Street. In 1983-84, it was extended first to Karrinyup Road, and then to Erindale Road. In 1986-87, in one major leap, the freeway was extended to Ocean Reef Road. The first stage of the Reid Highway (then known as the North Perimeter Highway) was built at the same time.
In 1991-1992, the median strip of the entire freeway was significantly widened to accommodate the Joondalup railway line, being built under the Northern Suburbs Transit System project. The line was to be located in the middle of the road reserve between the north and south-bound carriages. At the time, the section of freeway between Loftus Street and McDonald Streets were butted right next to each other, with space for further widening efforts of the section located on the eastern side of the road reserve1. To enable this, three new rail and road bridges were constructed at Vincent, Powis, and Scarborough Beach Roads2. Once the road bridges had been completed and surfacing works completed, the southbound carriage was relocated creating the required space for the railway line to continue construction. While the relevant road bridges and some associated works were included as part of the costs for the Northern Suburbs Transit System project, the addition of new lanes in the realigned section was funded from regular road funding sources1.
After a 13-year-hiatus, a 3 km extension to Hodges Drive, was opened to traffic in mid-2001.
The latest extension, a 4km stretch to Burns Beach Road with exits at Shenton Avenue and an overpass for Moore Drive, was opened on 2nd November 2008 by Western Australia’s Minister for Transport, Simon O’Brien, and the previous Minister for Planning and Infrastructure Alannah McTiernan. This was not without some opposition, as the original design of the extension involved building a wall several metres high, and opponents claimed the wall would be an eyesore and would physically divide the area. Plans were redrawn and construction of the extension was planned for May 2006 and began on 14 December 2006, managed by Main Roads in conjunction with Macmahon Contractors. By July 2008, 90% of the works had been completed and the new section was predicted to open in September 2008.3 The opening featured more than 50 vintage cars dating from the 1920s through to the 1960s and was keenly watched by hundreds of local residents.
For most of its history, the freeway had two lanes in each direction, but various sections have been expanded to three and four lanes over the years due to increasing traffic. This happened most recently in 1999 when the section between Karrinyup Road and Hepburn Avenue became three lanes in each direction. Future lane additions are inevitable due to the large volume of traffic travelling between the city centre and the northern suburbs.
Interchanges & Exits
The Mitchell Freeway Begins at the end of the Kwinana Freeway, which is generally noted as at the end of the Narrows Bridge. It terminates at Burns Beach Road. It is signed as for the entire distance.
Perth City entrances/exits
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Beyond Perth City
Vincent Street/Lake Monger Drive, Leederville and West Leederville (northbound exit via Southport Street)- Powis Street (northbound exit/southbound entry only), Wembley and Glendalough
- Hutton Street, Osborne Park
Cedric Street, Innaloo and Stirling
Karrinyup Road, Innaloo and Stirling
Erindale Road (northbound exit/southbound entry only, Gwelup and Balcatta
Reid Highway and Balcatta Road, Gwelup and Balcatta
Warwick Road, Duncraig and Warwick
Hepburn Avenue, Duncraig and Greenwood
Whitfords Avenue, Padbury and Kingsley
Ocean Reef Road, Woodvale and Edgewater- Hodges Drive, Joondalup and Heathridge.
- Shenton Avenue, Joondalup and Connolly.
Burns Beach Road, Joondalup and Currambine.
Future extensions
The freeway's design has allowed for a long area of vacant land for future freeway extensions. The Mitchell Freeway is expected to follow north to the currently new developed areas such as Ridgewood, Butler and Jindalee. Future exits are planned at Neerabup Road, Hester Avenue, Lukin Drive, Romeo Road and Pipidinny Road, which all are currently either proposed, incomplete or single carriageway. By as late as 2020, depending on the timing of the Alkimos/Eglinton Satellite City, Yanchep/Two Rocks/St Andrews Satellite City and further coastal development, the freeway could be developed as far as Two Rocks.
 The Swan River reclamation area during the construction of the Mitchell Freeway. c. 1957 |
 Mitchell Freeway southbound, at Reid Highway |
 Mitchell Freeway Extension land clearing underway at Moore Drive, Joondalup (Jan 2007) |
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 Mitchell Freeway Extension work in progress at Moore Drive, Joondalup (May 2007) |
 Mitchell Freeway Extension work in progress at Currambine Station (April 2008) |
See also
References
- ^ a b Northern Suburbs Transit System; Perth to Joondalup Railway; Progress Summary - June 1991. Perth, Western Australia: The Urban Rail Electrification Committee, Government of Western Australia. 1991. Pg. 1, Accessed at J S Battye Library, Perth
- ^ Northern Suburbs Transit System; Perth to Joondalup Railway; Progress Summary - June 1991. Perth, Western Australia: The Urban Rail Electrification Committee, Government of Western Australia. 1991. Pg. 6, Accessed at J S Battye Library, Perth
- ^ Main Roads WA (June 2008). "Urban Projects - Mitchell Freeway - Current Status". Retrieved on 16 July 2008.
- North Suburban Supplement, The West Australian (1961-1968)
- Government Gazette (1960s-1970s)
- Various directories, 1960s-1980s, Department of Lands and Surveys
- Streetsmart 2006 Directory, Main Roads
- Main Roads Western Australia
- Mitchell Freeway Joondalup
External links
- State Library of Western Australia Pictorial Collection of historical Mitchell Freeway Photographs
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