Perth’s first Smart Freeway is officially open with southern suburbs drivers on the Kwinana Freeway northbound the first to experience a faster and safer journey.

The new smart technology allows Main Roads’ Network Operations Centre to actively manage the freeway in real time by controlling the flow of traffic, opening and closing traffic lanes and adjusting speed limits when required.

The $56 million Smart Freeway project is expected to deliver a quicker and smoother journey between Roe Highway and the Narrows Bridge during the morning peak hour.

Historically, traffic entering the freeway from Canning Highway during peak periods was a major contributor to congestion. By converting the existing emergency lane from Canning Highway to the Narrows Bridge into an additional traffic lane, this bottleneck is expected to ease.

Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge says the smart technology will ease congestion and provide stimulus for the local economy. “The construction and commissioning of the Smart Freeway has injected much-needed funds into WA and generated 245 full-time jobs.”

Federal Member for Swan Steve Irons says new traffic signals have been installed on five northbound on-ramps from Farrington Road to Cranford Avenue. “These will help manage stop/start conditions on the freeway improving congestion and make merging easier and safer during busy periods,” Irons says. 

The project is jointly funded by the Australian and State governments with the Commonwealth providing the majority funding.