Kwinana Freeway Bus Transitway

Kwinana Freeway Bus Transitway
A freeway with a busway in the median strip
The busway in the median strip of the Kwinana Freeway, viewed from Kings Park, 2005
Overview
SystemTransperth
StatusClosed
Began serviceFebruary 2002 (2002-02)
Ended service28 January 2006 (2006-01-28)
Route
Route typeBusway
LocaleSouth Perth and Como, Western Australia
StartNarrows Bridge
EndCanning Bridge bus station
Length5.9 km (3.7 mi)

The Kwinana Freeway Bus Transitway was a busway in Perth, Western Australia. Located in the median strip of the Kwinana Freeway, the busway ran from the Narrows Bridge in the Perth central business district to Canning Bridge bus station, a distance of 5.9 kilometres (3.7 mi). The busway opened in 2002, and was originally planned to be extended further south to the Murdoch Park 'n' Ride, but the approval of a new route for the Mandurah line in 2001 resulted to the cancellation of the extension, and the closure of the busway in 2006.

Early history

From February to April 1987, Transperth and the Main Roads Department trialled a contraflow bus lane along the southbound Kwinana Freeway carriageway from the Perth CBD to South Terrace during the morning peak.[1][2][3] After the trial, it was decided that a permanent bus lane on the northbound carriageway from Canning Highway to the CBD would be built instead.[4][5] This involved building a curved bridge to take buses from Canning Highway over the northbound freeway carriageway and into the freeway median.[5][6] The bridge was built by Bocol Constructions.[7] The curved 55.7-metre (183 ft) span over the freeway was incrementally launched, which limited disruption to freeway traffic, while the rest of the bridge was constructed conventionally.[8] The bus lane was opened on 18 December 1989 by Transport Minister Bob Pearce.[9] The City Busport (now known as Elizabeth Quay bus station) at the northern end of the bus lane was meant to open as well, but it encountered construction delays,[9][10] eventually opening on 30 November 1991.[11][12] The Murdoch Park 'n' Ride at South Street opened on 14 December 1994, costing $2.3 million to build.[13]

Busway

In March 1999, the South West Metropolitan Railway Master Plan was approved by the state government. It was to follow a route branching off the Armadale line before joining the Kwinana Freeway at Jandakot, bypassing the Kwinana Freeway from Perth to Jandakot. The Kwinana Freeway Bus Transitway was planned to supplement the railway, running from the central business district to the Murdoch Park 'n' Ride.[14] Detailed plans for the Kwinana Freeway Bus Transitway were unveiled in October 1999. It was to be within the median strip of the Kwinana Freeway and separated from general traffic by concrete barriers, unlike the existing one-way bus lane. It was planned to open in full by 2005 and cost $105 million. A bus station at Canning Highway was to be built to facilitate transfers from buses along Canning Highway to buses along the transitway. A bus off-ramp was to be built to complement the bus on-ramp and the bridge carrying Canning Highway over the freeway was to be widened to accommodate the bus station. Construction was to be divided into two stages, with stage one being the busway from the Narrows Bridge to Canning Highway, and stage two being a southwards extension to the Murdoch Park 'n' Ride.[15]

A bus station viewed from a bridge above
Canning Bridge bus station in July 2005

In June 2000, a joint venture between Henry Walker Eltin and Clough Engineering was announced as the preferred tenderer for the design and construction of stage one of the busway project. This stage included Canning Bridge bus station and 5.9 kilometres (3.7 mi) of busway from Canning Highway to the Narrows Bridge, as well as the replacement of three footbridges across the Kwinana Freeway, at Comer Street, Preston Street and Thelma Street.[16] The $34 million contract was awarded to the joint venture in August 2000. Work was scheduled to begin the following month.[17][18]

Following the election of a Labor government, in July 2001, the state government announced that the proposed South West Metropolitan Railway (now known as the Mandurah line) would be routed via the Kwinana Freeway between Jandakot and Perth, instead of the previous plan, which had it branch off the Armadale line.[19][20] Construction continued on the bus transitway though, as its concrete barriers and right-of-way would be used by the railway. By that point, only $4 million of the project's budget had not been spent.[21] Canning Bridge bus station opened on 11 February 2002, less than a week after the bus transitway opened.[22][23][24] The bus station was credited with saving commute time for students at Curtin University and Murdoch University, with passengers no longer needing to travel to the City Busport to transfer.[23]

Closure

A railway line in a freeway median strip
The Mandurah line has replaced the Kwinana Freeway Bus Transitway

A new master plan for the South West Metropolitan Railway was released in August 2002.[25][26] It said the second stage of the bus transitway to Murdoch would not be built.[14] The $70 million budgeted for the second stage would instead be allocated to the railway to make up for the new route's higher cost.[27] The busway would be mostly replaced by the railway; the exception being the southbound busway lane on the Narrows Bridge, which would be retained.[28] Bus services along the Kwinana Freeway from Canning Bridge to the City Busport were planned to be kept, to prevent people from having to transfer from bus to train at Canning Bridge, unlike the bus routes further south, which were planned to be curtailed to terminate at the various bus-train interchanges.[29][30] Widening the Kwinana Freeway from Canning Bridge to the Narrows Bridge to include new bus lanes to replace the busway was considered,[31] but that was ruled out in January 2002 as it would encroach on the Swan River.[32] Instead, bus lanes on a limited section of the freeway from the Judd Street on-ramp to the Narrows Bridge would be created, as this was the most congested section.[33] The Canning Bridge bus station was planned to be converted to a train-bus transfer station.[34]

From 29 January 2006, the lower level of the Canning Bridge bus station was closed for conversion to rail.[35] The bus station was fully closed from 26 February to reduce confusion.[36] The Mandurah line opened on 23 December 2007.[37][38][39]

References

  1. ↑ Watson, de Jong & Radzivanas 1990, pp. 137–138.
  2. ↑ Edmonds 1997, pp. 360–361.
  3. ↑ Main Roads Department (1987). Annual Report 1986–1987. p. 31.
  4. ↑ Watson, de Jong & Radzivanas 1990, p. 138.
  5. 1 2 Edmonds 1997, p. 361.
  6. ↑ Grieve & Pressley 1990, p. 117.
  7. ↑ Grieve & Pressley 1990, p. 133.
  8. ↑ Grieve & Pressley 1990, p. 128.
  9. 1 2 "Bus lane overtakes the morning crawl". Daily News. 18 December 1989. p. 8.
  10. ↑ Watson, de Jong & Radzivanas 1990, p. 149.
  11. ↑ "Bus depot launch postponed again". The West Australian. 16 October 1991. p. 64.
  12. ↑ Waddacor, Gill (5 December 1991). "Busport debut fails to impress". The West Australian. p. 30.
  13. ↑ Charlton, Eric (14 December 1994). "Official opening of Murdoch Park 'n' Ride bus facility" (Press release). Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  14. 1 2 Perth Urban Rail Development Project – Supplementary Master Plan 2002, p. 5.
  15. ↑ Criddle, Murray (21 October 1999). "Details for a two-way dedicated bus transitway in the Kwinana Freeway median unveiled" (Press release). Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  16. ↑ Criddle, Murray (28 June 2000). "Bus transit way to 'revolutionise' commuter travel from southern suburbs" (Press release). Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  17. ↑ Criddle, Murray (28 August 2000). "Work set to start in September on $34 million Kwinana Freeway bus transitway" (Press release). Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  18. ↑ Robb, Trevor (29 August 2000). "Minister touts new bus plan". The West Australian. p. 11.
  19. ↑ MacTiernan, Alannah; Gallop, Geoff (16 July 2001). "Gallop Government unveils vision for faster rail link to Mandurah" (Press release). Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  20. ↑ Robb, Trevor (17 July 2001). "Rail Switch – New train link across city foreshore". The West Australian. p. 1.
  21. ↑ Clery, Daniel (13 August 2001). "MacTiernan denies waste over freeway bus lanes". The West Australian. p. 26.
  22. ↑ MacTiernan, Alannah (10 February 2002). "Freeway bus lanes open on Monday" (Press release). Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  23. 1 2 Cowan, Sean (14 February 2002). "Smooth bus ride for freeway passengers". The West Australian. p. 10.
  24. ↑ "Busway caps intense road construction program". Builder. April–May 2002. pp. 63–64.
  25. ↑ MacTiernan, Alannah; Gallop, Geoff (13 August 2002). "Master Plan shows new line a winner" (Press release). Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  26. ↑ Robb, Trevor (14 August 2002). "ALP claims win on freeway line". The West Australian. p. 4.
  27. ↑ Perth Urban Rail Development Project – Supplementary Master Plan 2002, pp. vii, 6, 138.
  28. ↑ Perth Urban Rail Development Project – Supplementary Master Plan 2002, p. 92.
  29. ↑ Perth Urban Rail Development Project – Supplementary Master Plan 2002, pp. 126–127.
  30. ↑ "Conceptual bus network and proposed service levels". Transperth. Archived from the original on 19 June 2012.
  31. ↑ Robb, Trevor (16 August 2001). "Freeway bus lane may stay: Pendal". The West Australian. p. 30.
  32. ↑ MacTiernan, Alannah (3 January 2002). "Kwinana Freeway will not be widened" (Press release). Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  33. ↑ Perth Urban Rail Development Project – Supplementary Master Plan 2002, p. 129.
  34. ↑ MacTiernan, Alannah (9 January 2002). "Completing Canning Bridge interchange is best transport option" (Press release). Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  35. ↑ "Closure of Canning Bridge platforms". Transperth. 29 January 2006. Archived from the original on 8 February 2006.
  36. ↑ "Transperth acts on Canning Bridge confusion". Public Transport Authority. 23 February 2006. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  37. ↑ "Mandurah line train makes maiden voyage". WAtoday. 23 December 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  38. ↑ "1500 take first railway trip to Mandurah". The West Australian. Australian Associated Press. 23 December 2007. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007.
  39. ↑ "Perth to Mandurah line takes first passengers". ABC News. 23 December 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2025.

Sources

This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.