The City of Cockburn has raised concerns the Armadale Road duplication might not be completed until 2020 despite receiving a $145 million funding announcement from federal and state government’s in September last year.
The duplication and connection to North Lake Road became a major issue during last year’s Canning by-election after the cities of Cockburn and Armadale started the Community Connect South campaign in an effort to secure federal funding.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott visited the road with Member for Canning Andrew Hastie to announce $116 million in federal funding for the road’s duplication – but not the North Lake Road bridge.
The remaining $29 million was to be funded by the State Government.
A Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development spokesman confirmed the timeline of the project could see it completed by 2020.
“The Armadale Road project involves constructing 6.96 kilometres of dual carriageways on Armadale Road between Anstey Road and Tapper Road,” he said.
“Pre-construction activity is planned to commence in 2016-17 with construction to commence in 2017-18.
“Completion is due 2019-20.”
The spokesman said the project will take so long because the current land reserve marked in the Perth Metropolitan Region Scheme does not cover the complete scope of the Armadale Road project.
“Main Roads WA will be required to undertake further land acquisition outside the MRS,” he said.
“This preconstruction activity (land acquisition) along with services relocation will be undertaken in 2016.
“The tender process will commence in 2017 and it is expected that works will commence in 2017-18.
“A two-year construction period is expected.”
City of Cockburn engineering and works services director Charles Sullivan said they were concerned at the construction timeline.
“The city would urge the MRWA to advance this project in the interests of the community and the travelling public,” he said.
Mr Hastie assured residents the Federal Government remained fully supportive of the project and was working closely with the relevant stakeholders to deliver it as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The cities of Armadale and Cockburn were still seeking funding to link North Lake Road with Armadale Road via a bridge and freeway interchange at a cost of $160 million.
Mr Hastie said given the budget had not been released he couldn’t answer whether the bridge would be included in the infrastructure agenda.
Mr Sullivan said the two cities would again step up their Community Connect South campaign in the lead up to this year’s federal election.
East west and southern corridor capacity upgrades were recently identified as medium term federal infrastructure priorities in Infrastructure Australia’s infrastructure priority list.
