Wanneroo City Council decided at its September meeting to write to Premier Colin Barnett seeking funding for the project in next year’s budget.
Councillor Rudi Steffens put forward the motion seeking a dual carriageway between Joondalup Drive and Hall Road, saying 20 people had died on that stretch in the past 12 years.
Cr Steffens had requested both major political parties commit to the project before the State election in March, but said there had been no funding allocated in the 2013-14 State Budget.
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READ NOW‘There was nothing in it for the City of Wanneroo to dual this important piece of road which, sadly, has seen the demise of many people,’ he said.
However, Wanneroo MLA Paul Miles told the Times the project was not a high priority, with the government focused on extending the Mitchell Freeway to Hester Avenue. He said the Government had estimated it would cost about $78 million to make the stretch a dual carriageway.
‘I think that was a lot of money for 3km,’ he said. ‘It will happen one day without a doubt (but) I would rather see the Mitchell Freeway go through.’
Mr Miles said the freeway extension to Hester Avenue would ease traffic on Wanneroo Road, with large trucks travelling on the freeway instead once it was finished in about 2017.
‘The garbage trucks and all that will stay on the freeway, they will get off at Flynn Drive ” they won’t need to go off at Burns Beach Road,’ Mr Miles said.
‘All the other vehicles coming down from the north, they are going to go down the freeway (via Hester Avenue). You are going to lose a lot of congestion.’
At the September 17 council meeting, councillors unanimously supported Cr Steffens’ motion, including Cr Norm Hewer.
‘I have been after getting that section of road for the last 13 years,’ Cr Hewer said.
‘We just keep on hitting our heads against a brick wall.
‘Something has got to be done before more lives are lost.’