Road Photos & Information: Western Australia: Forrest Highway, Kwinana Freeway & Mitchell Freeway (State Route 2)

Road Photos & Information: Western Australia

Forrest Highway, Kwinana Freeway & Mitchell Freeway (State Route 2) - Currumbine To Duncraig

Statistics:

Length: 140 km (Mitchell Fwy: 30 km)
Northern Terminus: Burns Beach Road (SR87) at Currambine
Southern Terminus: Old Coast Road (NR1) at Lake Clifton
Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route: (Mitchell Fwy) Perth, Northbridge, Leederville, Glendalough, Osborne Park, Stirling, Gwelup, Hamersley, Duncraig, Kingsley, Woodvale, Heathridge, Joondalup, Connolly and Currambine

Route Numbering:

Current:
Road Authority Internal Classification: H16 Mitchell Freeway 1

General Information:

The Forrest Highway, along with the Kwinana and Mitchell Freeways, are without a doubt one of the most important road systems in the Perth metropolitan area, and the southwestern part of the state.

Running in a north-south direction, the freeways link the north and southern suburbs of Perth together plus the southern city of Mandurah and the state's southwest, but also act as a coastal link between the northern and southern parts of the state. Built in stages from the late 1950s the route has seen enormous changes / extensions and is continuously undergoing expansion to this day.

Unique to the freeway sections is the passenger railway line down the median of the road corridor, which in parts also travels alongside other modes of public transport such as buses.

The route varies from 2 to 3 lanes wide in each direction, with provision in most of the newer sections to have another 1 to 2 lanes to be added when required. Exits along the route are somewhat close together, this is probably due to the large number of suburbs state route 2 services, south of Baldivis, the spacings are longer.

When first planned, the Mitchell Fwy was called the Yanchep Highway, as its envisaged that eventually the route will connect to the town.

State Route 2 is joined by National Route 1 at Brentwood from the Leach Hwy (SR7) interchange, forming a duplex through to the Canning Hwy (SR6) interchange at Como.

History:

1967 to 1973: construction of the section between the Narrows Bridge and Sutherland Street West Perth commenced - eventually forming the Narrows Interchange.
8 March 1976: Mitchell Freeway extension (1.6 km) from Railway Parade to Vincent Street opened. (Stage 2). 1
2 June 1978: Mitchell Freeway extension (4.8 km) from Vincent Street to Hutton Street opened. (Stage 3). 1
12 December 1983: Mitchell Freeway extension (3.5 km) from Roberts Street to Karrinyup Road opened. (Stage 4). 1
21 September 1984: Mitchell Freeway extension (1.8 km) from Karrinyup Road to Erindale Road opened. 1
6 August 1986: Mitchell Freeway extension to Hepburn Avenue opened. 1
1987: the freeway extended to Ocean Reef Road Craigie.
2 July 1988: Mitchell Freeway to Ocean Reef Road opened. 1
1992: the median strip of widened for the Joondalup railway line. Also, Mitchell Fwy widening to McDonald St completed. 1
1993: Mitchell Fwy widening to Erindale Rd completed, providing three lanes in each direction. 1
2001: freeway extension to Hodges Dr at Joondalup opened.
2 November 2008: $171.5 million extension to Burns Beach Road Currambine opened to traffic by State Premier, Colin Barnett. 1

Click here photos of the contruction and the official opening ceremony of the Mitchell Freeway from Hodges Drive interchange to the Burns Beach Road (SR87) interchange
Click here for construction photos of Currambine extension to the Mitchell Freeway

Duncraig to Currambine		Currambine To Duncraig
Preview:	Description:	Preview:	Description:
	Advance Exit Sign: Approaching Whitfords Av in Padbury. This is typical of WA advance exit signage for freeways. December 2007. Image © Paul Rands		Burns Beach Road Interchange: Looking eastbound on Burns Beach Road (SR87) at Joondalup at the on ramp to the Mitchell Freeway. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands
	Whitfords Av Interchange: Looking northbound at Padbury. December 2012. Click here for a photo of this location from December 2007. Image © Paul Rands		Start Freeway: The beginning of the Mitchell Fwy at Joondalup - part of the Burns Beach Road interchange. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: Northbound through the Whitford Av interchange, with Whitford railway station on the right. December 2012. Click here for a photo of this location from December 2007. Image © Paul Rands		Variable Message Sign: VMS on the Mitchell Fwy at Joondalup. In addition to this one on the newest segment of the freeway, several others were installed along the entire length of SR2 during October 2008. Image from November 2008. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Exit Sign: Approaching Ocean Reef Rd in Craigie. December 2007. Image © Paul Rands		Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Joondalup for the Shenton Av interchange. Moore Dr bridge is in the distance. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands
	Freeway Green Exit Sign: Older coloured freeway sign at the Ocean Reef Road interchage at Craigie, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands		Shenton Avenue Interchange: Looking southbound at Joondalup at the Shenton Av interchange. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands
	Ocean Reef Rd Interchange: Northbound through the Ocean Reef Rd interchange in Craigie. December 2012. Click here for a photo of this location from December 2007. Image © Paul Rands		Distance Sign: RD sign with distances to the next 3 interchanges. Southbound at the Shenton Av interchange in Joondalup, November 2008. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Craigie, approaching Hodges Dr, April 2016. Image © Paul Rands		Advance Directional Sign: AD sign for Hodges Drive, next to the footbridge linking Joondalup and the suburb of Connolly. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Craigie, approaching Hodges Dr, December 2012. Image © Paul Rands		Hodges Drive Interchange: Southbound at the Hodges Dr interchange at Joondalup. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Craigie, approaching Hodges Dr, April 2016. Image © Paul Rands		Advance Directional Sign: Westbound AD sign on Hodges Dr at Edgewater, December 2012. Image © Paul Rands
	Hodges Drive Interchange: Northbound at the Hodges Drive interchange at Heathridge, the former northern terminus of the freeway until the 2nd of November 2008. Image taken November 2008. Image © Paul Rands		Intersection Directional Sign: Eastbound ID sign on the interchange with Hodges Dr at Edgewater, December 2012. Image © Paul Rands
	Hodges Drive Interchange: Distance sign showing the next 2 interchanges on the freeway. Heathridge, November 2008. Image © Paul Rands		Distance Sign: RD sign at the Hodges Dr interchange at Joondalup showing distances to the next 3 interchanges. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign on the off ramp to Hodges Dr at Heathridge, December 2012. Image © Paul Rands		Hodges Drive Interchange: The southbound on ramp from the Hodges Rd interchange. December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign on the off ramp to Hodges Dr at Heathridge, December 2012. Image © Paul Rands		Advance Exit Sign: Approaching Ocean Reef Rd in Edgewater. December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign on the off ramp to Hodges Dr at Heathridge, December 2012. Image © Paul Rands		ocean Reef Rd Interchange: Ocean Reef Road (SR84) interchange at Edgewater, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign on the Hodges Dr interchange at Heathridge, December 2012. Image © Paul Rands		Exit Distance Sign: Southbound carriageway of the Mitchell Freeway as it passes through the Ocean Reef Rd Interchange at Edgewater. Sign is used to indicate distances to the next 3 exits, further past the interchange is a distance sign with town focal points, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Connolly for the Shenton Avenue interchange. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands		Distance Sign: Southbound RD sign after the Ocean Reef Rd interchange at Woodvale, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	Shenton Avenue Interchange: Looking northbound from the Connolly pedestrian bridge. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands		Freeway Green Advance Exit Signs: Southbound signage approaching SR83 - Whitfords Av at Woodvale. April 2016. Click here a photo of this location by Paul Rands featuring a freeway green sign from December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: RD sign at the Shenton Avenue interchange in Connolly showing the distance to the next interchange. The coverplates on the sign hide destinations ahead for the next extension of the freeway. December 2012. Click here for a photo of this location from November 2008. Image © Paul Rands		Freeway Green Exit Sign: Older coloured freeway sign at the Whitfords Av interchage at Woodvale, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	Shenton Avenue Interchange: Intersection directional sign at the end of the Shenton Av off ramp at Connolly, April 2016. Image © Paul Rands		Exit Distance Sign: Southbound through the Whitfords Av interchange at Woodvale, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	End of Freeway 1km: Sign at Currambine indicating the freeway ends in 1 kilometre. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands		Freeway Green Exit Sign: Southbound approaching the Hepburn Av interchange at Kingsley, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	Currambine Railway Station: View of the Currambine railway station in the centre of the freeway and part of the Burns Beach Road interchange at Currambine. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands		Hepburn Av Interchange: Southbound carriageway of the Mitchell Highway as it passes through the interchange with Hepburn Avenue at Kingsley, with exit distance sign, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	End Freeway: Northern terminus of SR2 at Currambine. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands		Advance Exit Sign: Southbound advance exit sign for Warwick Rd (SR81) interchange at Greenwood. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Burns Beach Road (SR87) at Currambine. December 2012. Click here for a photo of this location from November 2008. Image © Paul Rands		Warwick Road Exit: Southbound approaching Warwick Road in Greenwood, December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign on the westbound slip lane to Burns Beach Road (SR87) at Currambine. December 2012. Click here for a photo of this location from November 2008. Image © Paul Rands		Warwick Road Interchange: Looking southbound at Greenwood. December 2007. Image © Paul Rands
	Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign facing the eastbound turning lane to Burns Beach Road (SR87) at Currambine. November 2008. Image © Paul Rands
Click here for the continuation of SR2 between Duncraig and Osborne Park

1 Main Roads WA

Last updated: 23-Jan-2019 0:20

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