The Stephenson Avenue Extension project will deliver improved connections in the Stirling City Centre just in time for Christmas, with part of Phase 1 works due to open tomorrow, Wednesday 22 December.
Once completed by the City of Stirling, Phase 1 of the project will see Stephenson Avenue extended north of Scarborough Beach Road with new connections to Ellen Stirling Boulevard at Oswald Street and Flax Way.
To increase connectivity of Osborne Park, Herdsman and Glendalough with the Innaloo shopping precinct (Westfield Innaloo and Innaloo Megacentre), the new section of Stephenson Avenue north of Scarborough Beach Road to Oswald Street, including a new signalised intersection, will open to traffic and pedestrians.
Creating an environment that provides increased access and amenity for all road users, the new Oswald Street signalised intersection will be a raised plateau, in what is understood to be the first of its kind in Perth. The plateau will be red to encourage a low-speed level crossing for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
Delivering increased public amenity, bespoke seating has been installed near the pedestrian thoroughfare on the western side of the new intersection of Stephenson Avenue with Oswald Street. Additional seating will also be unveiled at the Stephenson Avenue and Flax Way intersection when Phase 1 is complete.
The aluminium seating was designed by award-winning Noongar artist Peter Farmer and artist and designer Jason Hirst, with FORM assisting the City of Stirling to manage and deliver the seating.
Historically, Aboriginal people travelled along the wetlands and the Swan Coastal Plain and used the abundant fresh water and wildlife associated with these places. In the warmer months, the location was used for such activities as camping, hunting, fishing, ceremony and leisure time.
Bidi, or the foot tracks, joined the wetlands, rivers and lakes with their campsite and areas of importance. A recognised dreaming track or ‘cultural complex’ includes Herdsman Lake, Lake Gwelup, Lake Karrinyup Lake Carine and all the swamps, creeks and wetlands in between.
Created under four different themes – Noongar (people), Keip (water), Bidis (journey tracks) and Kaarl (fire) – each seat is accompanied by text in Noongar and English. Together, they highlight the importance of connection to the land while providing functional seating and enhanced public amenity.
Key changes
The new section of road which will open tomorrow will result in changes to key intersections for motorists:
- Motorists coming from Herdsman, Glendalough or Osborne Park can now use the new Stephenson Avenue Extension to access the freeway, IKEA and Innaloo shopping centres via Oswald Street.
- Motorists exiting the freeway using Ellen Stirling Boulevard can now turn left onto the new Stephenson Avenue Extension via Oswald Street to access Osborne Park, Herdsman or Glendalough. They can still use Ellen Stirling Boulevard to access the Innaloo shopping centres and to travel to Scarborough.
- Motorists coming from Scarborough can still access the freeway, IKEA, and Innaloo shopping centres as usual by turning left onto Ellen Stirling Boulevard.
Work will continue on Phase 1 to extend Stephenson Avenue north of Oswald Street to Flax Way, creating a second local traffic connection between Stephenson Avenue, Howe Street and Ellen Stirling Boulevard, due for completion in early 2022.
Once Phase 1 is complete, temporary traffic management will be in place and the City of Stirling will monitor use of the road network while Phase 2 is being delivered by Main Roads.
Phase 2 construction is due to start in early 2022, and will include the freeway interchange and an upgrade of the Stirling Bus interchange, from 18 to 30 stands, as well as improved accessibility between the carpark and station.
As well as providing a new freeway interchange (replacing the interchange at Cedric Street) it will offer a safer and coordinated entry to Mitchell Freeway southbound during peak periods with the delivery of a Smart Freeway on-ramp and technology managed in real-time.
Mayor Mark Irwin said progress on Phase 1 was an exciting milestone that brought the City closer to its vision for Stirling City Centre to become a vibrant, well connected, mixed-use activity centre.
“Stephenson Avenue Extension has long been an important part of our big bold vision for the Stirling City Centre to become Perth’s second CBD and we’re pleased we’ve been able to open part of the road just before Christmas,” he said.
“We appreciate the patience of our community and businesses while we’ve worked on Phase 1 of the project, particularly with some traffic disruptions in the past month. When Phase 1 is complete, this will deliver better public amenity for pedestrians, residents and workers but it will also future proof this precinct to ensure future developments are supported by a functional and attractive public realm,” he said.
“The extension of Stephenson Avenue is working towards our long-held vision; unlocking 55ha of land for development and remediation and facilitating the delivery of mid-tier transport solutions along Scarborough Beach Road in future.
“While the benefits of the project will only be fully realised once Phase 2 is complete, I look forward to seeing the completion of Phase 1 create an environment with increased access and amenity for all road users – including pedestrians and cyclists – as well as bespoke seating that pays homage to the cultural significance of this land.”
The Stephenson Avenue Extension project has been jointly funded by the Western Australian Government ($82.5 million) and the Australian Government ($82.5 million), as well as an additional $90 million for the Stirling Bus Interchange with even contributions from the WA and Australian Governments.
Read more about the Stephenson Avenue Extension project by visiting the City of Stirling website and the Main Roads WA website.
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