$118m High Street upgrade plans released

The state government is planning to build a large roundabout and reconfigure High Street east of Fremantle in an area that continues to face heavy congestion after the scrapping of the Roe 8 project last year.

Under the plan, High Street, between Stirling Highway and Carrington Street, will be widened to include a new roundabout and a median aimed at improving safety, freight efficiency and general flow of traffic.

The roundabout will be added at the Stirling Highway intersection, along with a wide median to separate traffic, and a single-lane service road for residents north of High Street.

The current layout of High Street provides direct access to several local roads and driveways, which results in stop-start conditions and increased safety risks and also impacts freight efficiency by creating unpredictable journey times to and from Fremantle Port.

The government said Main Roads Western Australia had estimated costs of $118 million for the project.

"The upgrade to High Street will help to ease congestion in Fremantle and surrounding suburbs, improve safety and create jobs for Western Australians,” Premier Mark McGowan said

Community consultation and preliminary work will take place prior to a planned construction commencement by mid-2019.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the upgrades would address long standing issues with the section of road.

"The High Street upgrade project is designed to resolve what has been an historic, long-term safety issue and provide a solution to the truck rollovers and peak hour congestion in the area,” she said

"Consultation is continuing with the City of Fremantle and we will be speaking with key stakeholders, local community groups and residents together with the freight industry to develop and refine a final concept and scope of works.”