The redevelopment of the Denny Avenue intersection was one step closer to reality after the State Government included funding for it in its 2017-18 budget.
About $69 million has been budgeted for the overhaul of the Denny Avenue level crossing, which has been a trouble spot for years.
Member for Armadale Tony Buti said it was the first time he had seen a budget commitment to fix the crossing and he could not wait for the project to start.
“It brought music to my ears to finally have it committed to in the budget,” he said.
“To have the Denny Avenue commitment in print in the budget paper was something that has been long awaited for by me and the community.”
Dr Buti said there had been known public avoidance of the area and to have it finally resolved would be a boost to the local economy.
“You’ve just got to follow social media and the papers over the years to know it’s been an absolute bugbear for the community, who will rat race to get away from this area,” he said.
“It’s going to be a stimulation for the area on its own.”
In 2002 a proposal to close the Denny Avenue intersection altogether and build an underpass further south failed to gain momentum and it was later rated the state’s most dangerous road in RAC’s Risky Roads 2016-17 survey after 168 crashes were recorded in the five years to 2015.
Traffic lights were installed that year for $800,000 in an attempt to improve traffic flow but the project had limited success.
Other investments for the Armadale area included in the 2017-18 budget were $237 million for the Armadale Road-North Lake Road bridge and $145 million for the Armadale Road dual carriageway between Anstey Road and Tapper Drive.
Dr Buti said he was pleased with the amount of attention the State Government had given Armadale.
Member for Darling Range Barry Urban said investment in the south-eastern suburbs was overdue.
“They are trying to develop Kelmscott into a vibrant centre and this will bring that across,” he said.
“It will bring some reassurance especially to business owners in the area that we’re doing something about it.”
In May the State Government announced it would work with the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority to determine the best solution for Denny Avenue.
Examiner Newspapers contacted the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority to ask what progress had been made but they did not respond by deadline.
