What's happening
The Smart Freeway Mitchell Southbound project between Hester Avenue and Vincent Street, is now operational, providing more reliable, safer journeys.
Traffic is being managed during morning peaks and other busy periods on the 16 southbound on-ramps. These ramp signals allow two or three vehicles at a time onto the on-ramps to get up to speed and merge with traffic in the freeway lanes.
Traffic flows on the southbound freeway are being monitored by sensors and CCTV and speeds adjusted as required using 23 above-lane gantries with electronic signs. Motorists are now able to understand road conditions ahead with the large electronic signs providing vital information for their journeys.
Traffic is back to 100 km/h from Hester Avenue to Vincent Street, although on-going construction works at the Stephenson Avenue Extension project will at times, require lower speed limits between Karrinyup Road and Hutton Street.
Path upgrades
Two Principal Shared Paths (PSP) have now opened, between Ocean Reef Road and Whitfords Avenue and between Hepburn Avenue and Kilrenny Crescent. Work to construct remaining PSPs south to the Warwick Train Station, including widening and upgrading the Whitfords’ underpass will continue through to the end of March 2025..Path detours are in place to ensure the safety of path users, road users and our workforce. Signage displaying detour route maps is located at shared path entry points and work locations. Directional signage will guide cyclists through the detour routes.
Stephenson Avenue Extension Project
This project is providing a new connection from Cedric Street to Scarborough Beach Road, including an interchange at Mitchell Freeway with a southbound Smart Freeway on-ramp, as well as new local road links to Ellen Stirling Boulevard
View the Stephenson Avenue Extension project page here.
The next ‘Smart Freeway’ systems have been constructed on the Mitchell Freeway southbound from Hester Avenue to Vincent Street, with all 16 entry ramps modified and co-ordinated signals installed.
Just like Kwinana Freeway northbound, smart technology is improving the overall safety of motorists and helping alleviate congestion at peak times. This includes 23 new above-lane gantries which display speed changes and let you know when a lane is closed ahead.
We have also upgraded and widened sections on the freeway including:
- An additional southbound lane from Hodges Drive to Hepburn Avenue.
- A new dedicated lane from Hepburn Avenue on-ramp to Warwick Road off-ramp.
- Improved shared paths between Ocean Reef Road and Warwick Train Station.
- Installed safety barriers, emergency stopping bays, emergency breakdown lanes, and noise walls where required.
WA Smart Freeways vs UK Smart Motorways
Overview
In 2020, Main Roads delivered one of the world’s most technologically advanced Smart Freeway projects which included an All-Lane Running (ALR) section from Canning Highway to Narrows Bridge on Kwinana Freeway northbound. Ever since, we have become the benchmark for other smart freeways, highways, or motorways to match.
In April 2023, the UK Government announced it will cancel all new All-Lane Running (ALR) Smart Motorway construction projects as they could not meet similar benchmarks as those adopted in Western Australia within the project constraints.
UK Smart Motorways have received a lot of publicity given this ban, but it is important for the public to understand the significant differences between UK Smart Motorways and Smart Freeways in WA, and the safety measures taken by Main Roads in implementation of different types of Smart Freeways in our state.
- Whilst some of the technologies and techniques are similar, there are significant differences between Smart Freeway operations in the UK and WA.
- Planning for WA’s Smart Freeways is about ensuring safety is at the forefront of the design of the freeway, that technology and operations are based on learnings from the UK and other Australian jurisdictions.
- In the UK, the primary concern with Smart Motorways is where the emergency stopping lane (also known as hard shoulder) is replaced to become a running lane as part of the Smart Motorway. These are known as All-Lane Running (ALR) and Dynamic Hard Shoulder (DHS) sections which make up the majority of the UK’s Smart Motorways network.
- In WA, the majority of the Smart Freeway network has, and will continue to have, an emergency stopping lane, in addition to emergency stopping bays. Dynamic Hard Shoulder (DHS) is not adopted in WA and All-Lane Running (ALR) is only used where there is no physical space available for the provision of an emergency stopping lane. This is currently limited to Kwinana Freeway northbound between Canning to Narrows Bridge. There are no ALR sections included within the scope of Smart Freeway Mitchell Southbound project currently in construction.
- Where ALR is implemented in WA, our Smart Freeways include extensive safety measures specifically developed to mitigate concerns raised in the UK, including:
- Frequent Emergency Stopping Bays (approx. every 600m), this equates to one bay every 21.6 seconds at a speed of 100km/hr, with clear visible advance signage
- Stopped Vehicle Detection within Emergency Stopping Bays
- Electronic message boards to advise motorists of vehicles exiting Emergency Stopping Bays in the ALR section, and hence manage safe merging when required, in conjunction with overhead electronic signs,
- Automatic Incident Detection on the freeway mainline,
- Overlapping CCTV coverage,
- Dedicated Incident Response Service 24/7,
- Operational procedures to deal with emergencies and degraded operations,
- Queue Detection / Queue Protection to control traffic speed.
Mitchell Freeway southbound closure Karrinyup Road to Hutton Street
- Tuesday 1 April
- 9pm to 4am
- Ramps closed from 8pm
- Line marking works
- Detour
- Travel Map
Mitchell Freeway PSP between Anzac Road and Britannia Road (Pedestrian Bridge)
- Closed from 26 March to 2 April 2025, from 9am to 3pm each day
- Open Sunday 30 March
- Detour Map
- Travel Map
Mitchell Freeway PSP between Twickenham Drive and Leyton Court
- Closed until mid-April 2025
- Acrylic panel installations on noise walls
- Detour Map
- Travel Map
Mitchell Freeway PSP at Whitfords Avenue Underpass
- Closed until mid-April 2025
- Between Trailwood Drive and Twickenham Drive
- Path and underpass upgrades
- Detour map
- Travel Map
Mitchell Freeway PSP between Hodges Drive and Ocean Reef Road
- Closed until mid-April 2025
- Detour map
- Travel Map
Mitchell Freeway PSP between St Johns Court and Balham Place
- Closed from mid-April to early-May 2025
- Acrylic panel installations on noise walls
- Detour Map
- Travel Map
Mitchell Freeway PSP closure and detour at Greenwood Station
- Closed from Monday 31 March until end of April 2025
- PSP upgrade works in Greenwood Station next to Car Park 3
- Detour Map
- Travel Map
Mitchell Freeway PSP between Warwick Road and Hawker Avenue
- Closed from early-May to mid-May 2025
- Acrylic panel installations on noise walls
- Detour Map
- Travel Map
Mitchell Freeway PSP between Kanangra Crescent and Darnley Avenue
- Closed from mid-May to late-May 2025
- Existing panel remove and replace on noise walls
- Detour Map
- Travel Map
Mitchell Freeway PSP between Tuart Road and Warwick Road
- Closed from late-May to mid-June 2025
- Existing panel remove and replace on noise walls
- Detour Map
- Travel Map
Noise walls
Noise monitoring was undertaken to determine the locations and heights of noise walls constructed as part of this project, in line with State Planning Policy 5.4.
As a result, 5.5 km of noise walls have been installed between Ocean Reef Road and Warwick Station
Read more in the Noise Mitigation Fact Sheet.
Principal Shared Path (PSP)
Both new and upgraded shared paths are being constructed to create a high standard route between Ocean Reef Road and Warwick Train Station. Forming part of the State Government’s PSP Expansion Program, the path will include local connections to neighbouring residential areas.
A verge will also be created beside the eight kilometre path, where practical. This is being replanted to improve community amenity.
Learn more about what we're doing in our Shared Path Fact Sheet.
Landscaping
Landscaping began over the 2024 planting season, June to August, and will continue once construction of the pathways is completed in the next planting season in 2025. These cooler months ensure new plants adapt to the natural conditions and thrive. A mix of seeds, collected from the alignment prior to construction, and tubestock is being used in this landscaping program.
We make every effort to minimise the impact of our project works on the surrounding environment.
Flora and fauna surveys were completed between 2019 and 2024 to inform project planning and the design has maximised the retention of existing vegetation wherever possible, considering the constrained areas available for construction.
The majority of the vegetation cleared for this project was planted by Main Roads when the freeway was constructed, with the intention of removing it when freeway expansion was required.
Environmental approvals
An environmental proposal was submitted for a section of the works adjacent to the freeway between Ocean Reef Road and Hepburn Avenue in November 2020 to the then Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) for approval. The proposal was considered a controlled action under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in December 2020 was assessed under preliminary documentation by DAWE. EPBC 202/8833 approval was granted for the project in October 2021. For further information, visit the EPBC Act Public Portal.
On 5 October 2021, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) approved our application for a Native Vegetation Clearing Permit CPS 9225/1, under Section 51C of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (EP Act), to clear native vegetation for a section of works adjacent to the freeway between Ocean Reef Road and Hepburn Avenue.
To offset these impacts, in consultation with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) we are revegetating 7.1 hectares of Yellagonga Regional Park, in Woodvale. This work will start in May 2023 and be staged over several years to ensure the new plants can thrive. It will include areas of full revegetation, as well as a parkland buffer adjacent to local residential areas (as shown below).

Main Roads have also acquired almost 32 hectares of native vegetation at Lake Clifton, which includes Tuart Woodlands and Black Cockatoo habitat, to be managed and preserved by DBCA.
To facilitate construction of the shared path and noise walls works on the Hodges Drive and Hepburn Avenue entry ramps, and the installation of Smart Freeway infrastructure, areas of native vegetation have been cleared under the Main Roads state-wide clearing permit CPS818/15 issued by DWER.
Project updates
- Project Update - Hester Avenue to Warwick Road - July 2024 - PDF (2.02 MB)
- Project Update - Hester Avenue to Warwick Road - December 2023 - PDF (3.72 MB)
- Project Update -Reid Highway to Vincent Street - September 2023 - PDF (407 KB)
- Project Update - Hester Avenue to Warwick Road - July 23 - PDF (2.43 MB)
- Construction update - Hepburn Avenue to Warwick Road - March 23 - PDF (341 KB)
- Construction update - Ocean Reef Road to Whitfords Avenue- March 2023 - PDF (1.87 MB)
- Construction Update - Whitfords to Hepburn March 2023 - PDF (3.88 MB)
- Project Update - Hester to Warwick - November 2022 - PDF (773 KB)
- Project Update - Hester to Warwick - July 2022 - PDF (307 KB)
- Project Update - Reid to Vincent - June 2022 - PDF (202 KB)
- Project Update - Hester to Warwick - April 2022 - PDF (2.63 MB)
- Project Update - Hester to Warwick - May 2021 - PDF (527 KB)
- Project Update - Hester to Warwick - May 2020 - PDF (1.13 MB)
Project information
- YouTube Video - Install of First Gantry on Smart Freeway Mitchell Southbound - March 2024
- Mitchell Frreeway Southbound - Hester Avenue to Warwick Road - Noise wall installation works commencement August 2023 - PDF (276 KB)
- Mitchell Freeway Southbound - Hester Avenue to Warwick Road - Noise Vibration Management Plan - PDF (362 KB)
- FAQ - WA Smart Freeways vs UK Smart Freeways - PDF (161 KB)
- Fact Sheet - Hutton Street on-ramp updated designs - PDF (2.77 MB)
- Map 1 - Noise wall and PSP Beach Road to Strathaven Crescent Greenwood - PDF (5.90 MB)
- Map 2 - Noise wall and PSP Darnley Avenue Greenwood to Twickenham Drive Kingsley - PDF (6.09 MB)
- Map 3 - Noise wall and PSP Twickenham Drive Kingsley to Ocean Reef Road Woodvale - PDF (3.09 MB)
- Map 4 - Noise wall and PSP Ocean Reef Road to Hodges Drive - PDF (2.28 MB)
- Concept Map - PSP alignment and noise walls - PDF (9.52 MB)
- Fact Sheet - Hester to Warwick - Pavement construction and vibration management - PDF (1.8 MB)
- Fact Sheet - Hester to Warwick - Shared path, noise walls and landscaping - PDF (164 KB)
- Facebook: Vincent Street off-ramp visualisation video
- Fact Sheet - Hester to Warwick - Environmental - PDF (762 KB)
- Fact Sheet - Hester to Warwick - Construction Impact - PDF (160 KB)
- Fact Sheet - Hester to Warwick - Shared Path - PDF (462 KB)
- Fact Sheet - Hester to Warwick - Noise Mitigation - PDF (315 KB)
Media Statements
- Smart technology system to deliver smoother commutes on Mitchell Freeway - 22 December 2024
- Joint media statement - Smart freeway ready for operations - 3 December 2024
- Smoother journeys with smart system project nearing completion - 14 November 2024
- Roll out of Smart Freeway technology continues on the Mitchell Southbound - 29 December 2021
- Job-creating transformation of Mitchell Freeway now underway - 16 May 2021
- Major transformation of Mitchell Freeway southbound a step closer - 16 April 2021
- Transformation to Mitchell Freeway southbound continues - 28 January 2021
- Major infrastructure projects developing Stirling into a hub of activity - 11 January 2021
- Mitchell Freeway gets smart with $100 million for time saving technology - 8 October 2020
- Quicker safer journeys for Mitchell Freeway southbound users - 23 June 2020
- Expressions of Interest sought for Mitchell Freeway southbound upgrade - 9 March 2020
- Infrastructure to boost jobs and bust congestion - 20 November 2019
Funding
The $209.6 million Smart Freeway Mitchell Southbound is funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments. The additional lane from Hodges Drive to Hepburn Avenue and shared paths project is jointly funded by the Australian ($107 million) and Western Australian ($107 million) Governments.
pressure on local roads
traffic in real-time
journey times