Intersection plan aims to fix crash spots
Two controversial intersections - one the focus of WA's most expensive road project and the other having $75 million in remediation work postponed by the Barnett Government - have been identified as Perth's worst crash hotspots.
According to new Main Roads data, there were more crashes at the intersection of Tonkin Highway and Horrie Miller Drive-Kewdale Road last year than any other site. Eighty six crashes last year took the intersection's five-year total to 406.
The intersection is one of several interchanges being completely remodelled as part of the $1 billion Gateway WA project.
A new wishbone-like configuration - not used before in Perth but popular in Canberra - will be implemented to allow traffic along Tonkin Highway to travel uninterrupted under a new signalised Horrie Miller Drive-Kewdale Road intersection.
The design, which will also be used for the Leach Highway-Abernethy Road intersection, was chosen because of the limited space available and because it can control big traffic volumes through a single set of traffic lights.
The Main Roads data shows the second-worst intersection last year was Reid Highway and Malaga Drive in Noranda with 61 crashes - higher than its five-year annual average of 54.
In 2012, the intersection was the most nominated of more than 4000 submitted as part of a congestion survey by the RAC, in conjunction with The West Australian.
Shortly afterwards, Premier Colin Barnett and former transport minister Troy Buswell announced a $75 million bridge would be built over Malaga Drive. Mr Buswell said at the time work would begin in 2013-14 and be completed by 2014-15.
In this month's State Budget papers, it was revealed the project had been put on the backburner, with construction due to begin in 2016-17, with the earliest completion time being 2018-19.
Most of the other bad intersections last year were also in the northern suburbs with Tonkin Highway-Collier Road (59 crashes) third and the Reid Highway-Mitchell Freeway-Balcatta Road precinct (57) fourth.
