Road Photos & Information: Western Australia

Kwinana Freeway & Mitchell Freeway (State Route 2) - Former Alignment: The Spectacles To Baldivis

Statistics:

• Length: 68 km (Kwinana Fwy: 42 km) (The Spectacles to Baldivis: 13 km)
• Northern Terminus: Burns Beach Road (SR87) at Currambine in Perth's northern suburbs
• Southern Terminus: The roundabout with Baldivis Road and Safety Bay Road (SR18) at Baldivis in Perth's southern suburbs
• Suburbs, Towns & Localities along route: North Lake, Leeming, Bibra Lake, South Lake, Jandakot, Hammond Park, Aubin Grove, Wandi, Mandogalup, Anketell and The Spectacles.

Route Numbering:

• Current:  
• Main Roads WA Internal Classfication: H15 1

General Information:

The Kwinana and Mitchell Freeways are without a doubt one of the most important road systems in the Perth metropolitan area, and the southwestern part of the state.

Running in a north-south direction, the freeways link the north and southern suburbs of Perth together, but also act as a coastal link between the northern and southern parts of the state. Built in stages from the late 1950s the route has seen enormous changes / extensions and is still undergoing massive expansion to this day.

Unique to these 2 freeways is the passenger railway line down the median of the freeway, which in parts also travels alongside other modes of public transport such as buses.

The freeway varies from 2 to 3 lanes wide in each direction, with provision in most of the newer sections to have another 1 to 2 lanes to be added when required. Exits along the route are somewhat close together, this is probably due to the large number of suburbs state route 2 services.

When first planned, the Mitchell Fwy was called the Yanchep Highway, as its envisaged that eventually the route will connect to the town.

The photos on this page cover the now altered alignment in the Baldivis area. Changes to the route in this area are a direct result of the extension of the Kwinana Freeway.

History:

• 1957: Commencement of construction of the Narrows Bridge and first stage of the Kwinana Fwy. 2
• 1967: Construction of the Kwinana Freeway in inner southern Perth suburbs. 2
• 3 December 1976: South Perth interchange opened. 6
• 1975: Additional land reserved for the future extension of the Kwinana Fwy. 3
• 19 July 1979: Kwinana Freeway / Canning interchange including Manning Road Bridge fully operational. 6
• October 1980: Narrows Bridge median lane opened to Northbound traffic. 6
• 29 March 1982: Narrows Bridge median lane opened to southbound peak traffic, thus becoming a reversible lane. 6
• 9 May 1982: Mt Henry Bridge and Kwinana Freeway extension (6.5 km) from Canning Bridge to South Street opened. 6
• February 1987: Introduction of bus lanes. 2
• 18 December 1989: Kwinana Fwy bus lane Canning Bridge to city opened. 6
• 14 July 1991: Kwinana Freeway from South St to Farrington Rd opened. 6
• 12 December 1991: Kwinana Freeway from Farrington Rd to Forrest Rd opened. 6
• November 1991: Kwinana Freeway bus lane extended from Canning Bridge to Mt Henry Bridge. 6
• 11 September 1994: Extension of Kwinana Freeway from Forrest Road to Thomas Road Kwinana opened on by Kim Beazley. 2
• 1999-2001: Construction of the South West Metropolitan Railway down the centre of the freeway alignment - this was done by relocating 16 kilometres of existing northbound carriageway 15 metres westwards. Also part of the works was the construction of a 12km freeway extension southwards from Thomas Road to Safety Bay Road, including interchanges at Mortimer and Mundijong Road and freeway overpasses at Millar Road. 5
• 12 March 2006: the connection of the Roe Highway Stage 7, from South Street to the Kwinana Freeway, officially opened to traffic. 6
• December 2006: Works commence on the Kwinana Freeway Extension from Safety Bay Road (SR18) Interchange at Baldivis to Pinjarra Road at North Yunderup. 7
• 20 September 2009: Completion of the 70 km Perth to Bunbury Highway project (Kwinana Fwy / Forrest Hwy) - bypassing the heavily populated areas in Mandurah and the Dawesville Peninsula, and avoiding the inland communities on South Western Highway. The route is freeway standard from Safety Bay Road to Pinjarra Road with the remainder of the route built as a divided rural highway. In the future as traffic demands increase, the highway will be upgraded to a freeway standard for its entire length. 6

Baldivis to The Spectacles (Northbound)			The Spectacles to Baldivis (Southbound)
Preview:	Description:		Preview:	Description:
	Prohibition Sign: Sign listing what's not allowed on the Kwinana Fwy. Northbound at Baldivis. December 2007. Image © Paul Rands			Approaching End of Freeway: Southbound at Baldivis approaching the end of the freeway, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	Exit Distance Sign: Northbound sign near the former start of the Kwinana Fwy at Baldivis, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands			End of Freeway 500m: Southbound at Baldivis, 500m from the former end of the Kwinana Fwy, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	Start Freeway: Northbound at Baldivis at the former official start of the Kwinana Freeway. December 2007. Image © Paul Rands			80km/h ahead warning Signs: Southbound warning signs for reduced speed limit. These are the standard speed limit ahead signs used in Western Australia, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
				Rumble Strip Warning Signs: Rumble strip warning signs at Baldivis. They are used to warn of raised lines across the road to signify a major change in road conditions. December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
				Former End Of Freeway: Looking southbound at Baldivis, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands

1 Main Roads WA Metropolitan Road Fact Sheet, 31 March 2008
2 State Library of Western Australia
3 Australasian Legal Information Institute
4 National Library of Australia
5 Australian Institute of Project Management
6 Main Roads WA
7 Southern Gateway Alliance Fact Sheet - Project Facts 01