The City of Canning council voted unanimously in support of the widening of Shelley Bridge at last week’s council meeting.
The council decided the bridge required an upgrade due to the scrapping of the Roe 8 project, which council says would have reduced traffic on Leach Highway.
The two-lane Shelley Bridge crosses the Canning River linking the three-lane Leach Highway.
Merging points at the entrances to the bridge were known congestion hot spots.
A report to the council said local MPs were concerned at the number of drivers who cut through residential areas to avoid the bridge.
Councillors said the McGowan government’s decision to scrap the Roe 8 plan meant alternative projects would be needed to improve traffic flow on the roads.
The council had confirmed its support for bridge widening in October 2016 but reconfirmed last week to urge the new State Government to make the project a priority.
The bridge falls into the Bannister Ward represented by councillors Ben Kunze and Patrick Hall.
Mr Kunze said the bridge was a piece of poor planning the city had to resolve.
“I think it would be fantastic if the city stood up and made this a priority project,” he said.
“Shelley Bridge is a congestion choke point, especially during peak travel periods.
“The number of lanes needlessly reduces from three to two and this can add a significant amount of time to the morning commute to work and is frustrating for local residents.”
Mr Hall said the government should recognise the importance of Leach Highway plays as a connection between Fremantle port and Perth airport.
“This really will play an important role for many generations,” he said.
“The congestion and safety issues encountered along Leach Highway are raised with us regularly by local residents, as the increasing amount of traffic had long been an issue within the local community.”
The pair was supportive of a widening of the bridge to three lanes in each direction for vehicles and wanted a cycle lane to be considered as well.
City of Canning executive officer Arthur Kyron was instructed to meet with the Main Roads commissioner Richard Sellers, Minister for Transport Rita Saffioti and local and federal members of parliament to advocate the widening of Shelley Bridge and for it to be considered a high priority project.
A report will be provided to the council by July with Mr Kyron’s findings.
