MAIN Roads will widen Tonkin Highway to six lanes and construct new grade-separated interchanges at Hale Road and Welshpool Road East as part of the Tonkin Highway Corridor project.

The upgrades will also deliver a new shared path for pedestrians and cyclists.

The works are aimed to improve safety, reduce congestion and provide more reliable travel times along the transport and freight corridor.

The corridor upgrade includes improvements at three intersections along Tonkin Highway at Hale Road, Welshpool Road East and Kelvin Road.

Main Roads is widening Tonkin Highway from four to six lanes between Roe Highway and south of Welshpool Road and is constructing a full interchange at Welshpool Road East and Hale Road.

The project team is also installing safety barriers, lighting and drainage infrastructure and performing landscaping and noise mitigation treatments as needed.

Development work and environmental approvals are also ongoing for a new interchange at Kelvin Road, which will be delivered as a future stage of the corridor upgrade.

Kalamunda resident Milton White raised concerns last year about accessing Hale Road to get to Forrestfield following the upcoming changes, as reported in Tonkin Highway upgrade impacts on Kalamunda residents (Echo News, January 31, 2025).

According to Main Roads, south-facing ramps were investigated during project planning which led to identifying impacts including property acquisition, impacts to Hartfield Park and surrounding conservation areas and impacts to Welshpool Reserve and relocation of major infrastructure services.

The north-facing ramps at Hale Road are aimed to avoid the identified impacts with access to Tonkin Highway planned via the Welshpool Road East interchange for drivers going southbound.

The Main Roads project timeline has scheduled the completion of the Hale Road to Welshpool Road construction for 2029.

Main Roads began site establishment works on September 21 and are scheduled to continue until November 27 this year.

During site establishment works, project signs will be installed on road verges and medians while a secure temporary base for the project workers, known as a site compound, will be established.

During sign installation works, a temporary footpath detour on Hale Road will be in place for approximately one day.

Traffic controllers will be on site to assist path users and direct them to nearby safe crossing points.

Early works will also include potholing, geotechnical investigations, and pavement sampling as well as groundwater monitoring, preliminary fencing and bore drilling works.

Main Roads said additional travel time should be allowed during the site works, with care cautioned through the work area.

Up to date information about traffic impacts may be found on the Main Roads travel map.

More information on the project and its scope may be found online.