The Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale is recommending the closure of a section of Soldiers Road in Mundijong in a proposal out for public comment.
The proposal, which was part of an amendment to the Mundijong Whitby District Structure Plan, would see Soldiers Road closed between Bishop Road and the future district centre road, which would be to the south of Bishop Road and include a level crossing.
Soldiers Road is a continuation of Paterson Street in Mundijong and is a thoroughfare connecting Mundijong and Byford, with the next closest being South Western Highway or Kargotich Road.
According to the report the need for the closure arose during the creation of the development contribution plan for Whitby where a number of issues with the existing road layout, which includes level crossings, were identified.
These included hazardous intersections along Soldiers Road and Paterson Street where queues had the potential to extend across the railway line and the State Government’s preference for no new level crossings.
The State Government also requires there be no net increase in level crossings but under the existing road layout a new crossing would have been required for the district centre road to connect to Taylor Road.
The report found a grade separated crossing was not an acceptable alternative because it would be too expensive.
Instead the shire has proposed to build the new level crossing, which would be offset by the removal of the level crossing on Soldiers Road slated for closure.
The report stated this was also the preferred option because Soldiers Road no longer had an important north-south connectivity role and was separated into independent sections.
The shire had previously lobbied the State and Federal governments to move the freight line west of Mundijong but said this could not be achieved in the short term as there had been no financial commitment.
The proposal was open for public comment until February 19. Visit sjshire.wa.gov.au/public-comment/.
