Statistics:
- Length:
- 58 km
- Termini:
- Northern: Marmion Av (SR71) and North Beach Rd (unnumbered), Karrinyup
- Southern: Kwinana Fwy (SR2) and Murdoch Dr (unnumbered), Jandakot
- Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:
- Leeming, Jandakot, Willeton, Canning Vale, Parkwood, Langford, Thornlie, Beckenham, East Cannington, Welshpool, Kewdale, Wattle Grove, Forrestfield, High Wycombe, Maida Vale, Hazelmere, Bellevue, Midvale, Middle Swan, Caversham, West Swan, Dayton, Beechboro, Bennett Springs, Noranda, Malaga, Dianella, Mirrabooka, Westminster, Balga, Balcatta, Hamersley, Carine and Karrinyup
Route Numbering:
- Current: 3
- Multiplexed with: 94 95
- Road Authority Internal Classification: 1
- H018 (Leeming to Middle Swan)
- H021 (Middle Swan to Karrinyup)
General Information:
State Route 3 is a major arterial route servicing Perth's northern and eastern suburbs.
The route services residential, commercial, industrial and semi-rural areas and features both grade-separated and at-grade junctions. Part of the route forms the designated truck route through the Perth metropolitan area and as a result the route sees a lot of road train and B-double vehicles.
State Route 3 once incorporated Middle Swan Rd which was a single carriageway, 2-lane roadway that acted as temporary link between the Reid Hwy and Roe Hwy, passing through suburbs such as West Swan, Caversham and Middle Swan. This is now a series of service roads north of Reid Hwy.
Roe Highway:
The Roe Highway is part of the Perth metropolitan area outer ring road system. It's a limited access dual carriageway and carries not just SR3, but also NH94 and NH95.
The Roe Highway was first proposed in 1955 by Gordon Stephenson as part of the Metropolitan Region Planning Scheme. It is named after John Septimus Roe, first Surveyor General of Western Australia. Click or tap here for a document by Paul Fisher, one of the project managers for the Tonkin Hwy to Welshpool Rd section.
Reid Highway:
First proposed in the late 1960s as the North Perimeter Highway, Reid Highway is a major arterial highway in Perth, and runs between West Swan Road, West Swan and Marmion Avenue, Karrinuyp. The route is named after former Governor Gordon Reid. Click or tap here for a document on stages 4 and 5 by project manager Paul Fisher.
Multiplexes along the route include:
- National Highway 94, for 3 km, between Hazelmere and Midvale.
- National Highway 95, for 4 km, between Midvale and Middle Swan.
History:
- Roe Highway:
- 1981: Work on Beechboro-Gosnells (Tonkin) Highway and Great Eastern Highway section commenced. Total length of 12 km. Work included construction of a pedestrian overpass at Berkshire Road, and traffic bridges at Maida Vale Road, Bushmead Road, Clayton Street, Helena River and the railway line at Bellevue. The road surface was made up from recycled tyres and tar stored at the old SEC gasworks in East Perth. 2
- 2 September 1983: The Beechboro-Gosnells (Tonkin) Highway and Bushmead Road section opened to traffic. 3
- 23 November 1984: Bushmead Road to Great Eastern Highway was opened. 3
- 1984: The third stage, linking Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern Highway opened in conjunction with the Great Eastern Highway Bypass opening.
- 14 December 1988: Roe Highway from Great Eastern Highway to Great Northern Highway opened. 3
- 25 July 1994: the highway was extended 2 km further southwards from Tonkin Highway to Welshpool Road. 3
- September 1995: Work on the Reid Highway extension from Wanneroo Road to Erindale Road began. 4
- September 1996: The section of Reid Highway from Wanneroo Road to Erindale Road is open to traffic. 4
- May 2001: The 8.5 kilometre extension of Roe Highway from Welshpool Road to Nicholson Road constructed. 5
- December 2002: Completion of the highway to the Kenwick Link. 5
- 2003: Completion of highway to Nicholson Road. 5
- September 2003: The importance of the Canning River and its surrounds to Nyoongar people and the larger Aboriginal community was recognised with the naming of the new Canning River twin bridges in Langford as 'Djarlgarra'. The bridges were built as part of the Roe Highway Stages 4 and 5. 6
- 23 April 2004: Roe Highway Stage Six – linking Nicholson Road with South Street – was opened to traffic. 7 This extended Roe Highway to South Street, in Leeming. 7
- December 2004: Work started on Roe Highway Stage 7, to extend Roe Highway from South Street Leeming to Kwinana Freeway. 8
- 2006: Roe Highway Stage Seven – extended the highway from South Street through to the Kwinana Freeway, completed. 9
- 2010: Work begins on new interchange at the junction of Roe Highway and Great Eastern Highway. 10
- 8 June 2012: The new interchange at the intersection of Roe Highway and Great Eastern Highway officially opened. 10
- November 2014: Work starts on grade separation of Roe Highway and Berkshire Road at Forrestfield. 11
- Reid Highway:
- 1986: Stage 1 constructed between Erindale Road and the Mitchell Freeway.
- 1989: Route renamed Reid Highway in honour of former Governor Gordon Reid.
- 6 September 1991: Reid Highway from Alexander Dr to Malaga Dr opened. 3
- 11 November 1991: Reid Highway (Malaga Dr to Tonkin Highway) and Tonkin Highway (Benara Road to Reid Highway) opened. 3
- 11 February 1992: Reid Highway from Tonkin Highway to Beechboro Road and Alexander Dr to Mirrabooka Avenue opened. 3
- 6 September 1996: Reid Highway extension from Wanneroo Road overpass to Erindale Road opened. 3
- 25 November 1996: Reid Highway extension from Beechboro Road to Great Northern Highway opened. 3
- 2000: Works commenced to extend Reid Highway from Mitchell Freeway to Marmion Avenue. The extension had been planned since 1963. 12
- 2001: Reid Highway resurfaced using asphalt at Carine to reduce noise levels. 13
- 26 February 2010: The then transport Minister Simon O'Brien opened the extension of Reid Highway from West Swan Road to Great Northern Highway. The $96 million project involved the construction of 2.6 km dual carriageway between West Swan Road and Great Northern Highway in Middle Swan; the provision of a road underpass and service road to facilitate safe local access; and significant improvements to the signalised intersection at Great Northern Highway. It also involved building a new road bridge across the Swan River designed to accommodate four lanes of traffic; and a separate shared cycle and pedestrian path. 14
- June 2010: Construction of grade separated interchange with Alexander Dr commenced. 15
- 15 April 2011: Reid Highway interchange Alexander Drive opened to traffic, with Reid Highway running over Alexander Drive. 16
- 12 November 2011: Reid Highway grade separated interchange with Mirrabooka Avenue opened to traffic. 17
- 2015: Work started on upgrading Reid Highway to improve capacity. Works included 4.2 km road widening between Marmion Avenue and Erindale Road to provide two lanes in each direction, and associated intersection upgrades, a new bridge over Mitchell Freeway, a new ramp from Reid Highway westbound to Mitchell Freeway northbound, traffic lights at Duffy Road South, traffic barriers to separate traffic from the shared path on the existing bridge over Mitchell Freeway, and a grade separated interchange at Malaga Drive / Reid Highway intersection. 18
- 2017: Upgrade works commenced at the Reid Highway and Altone Road intersection. The works provided an additional through-lane for Altone Road in each direction and extend turning pockets to Reid Highway. 19 Also work started to upgrade Reid Highway between Altone Road and West Swan Road to dual carriageway, other work included installation of noise walls and a shared path along the route. 20
- August 2018: The first two bridges on Reid Highway between Beechboro Road North and Tonkin Highway opened to traffic as part of the NorthLink WA project. These bridges replaced the dual carriageway of the Reid Highway between Beechboro Road North and Tonkin Highway, which will be absorbed into a westbound to southbound ramp when the interchange is completed. 21
- October 2018: A direct exit ramp from Lightning Park Recreation Centre to Reid Highway at Noranda opened to traffic. 22
1 WA Government, Main Roads Western Australia, Road Information Mapping System.
2 WA Government, Main Roads Western Australia, Western Roads, March 1983.
3 WA Government, Main Roads Western Australia.
4 WA Government, Media Statements, New section of Reid Highway open to traffic ahead of schedule, 11 September 1996.
5 Paul Fisher.
6 WA Government, Media Statements, Aboriginal name for Canning River twin bridges, 19 September 2003.
7 Roe7 Alliance.
8 WA Government, Media Statements, Roe Highway Stage 7 extension gets go ahead, 9 December 2004.
9 WA Government, WA Department of Planning and Infrastructure.
10 WA Government, Media Statements, Roe / Great Eastern interchange improves safety, traffic flow and transport efficiency, 8 June 2012.
11 WA Government, Media Statements, Joint statement - Roe Highway / Berkshire Road interchange upgrade underway, 11 November 2014.
12 WA Government, Media Statements, Reid Highway to be extended west from Mitchell Hwy to Marmion Ave, 16 December 1998.
13 WA Government, Media Statements, Smoother road for Reid Highway through Carine, 24 September 2001.
14 WA Government, Media Statements, Reid Highway extension opened, 26 February 2010.
15 WA Government, Media Statements, Milestone reached on new Reid Highway overpass at Alexander Drive, 28 November 2010.
16 Brendan Cherry.
17 WA Government, Media Statements, Reid Hwy / Mirrabooka Ave black spot eliminated, 12 November 2011.
18 WA Government, Main Roads Western Australia, Project Display, Reid Highway Works, 20 July 2015.
19 WA Government, Main Roads Western Australia, Projects, NorthLink WA, Works Begin at Reid Highway and Altone Road intersection, 31 August 2017.
20 WA Government, Main Roads Western Australia, Project Update, Reid Highway Dual Carriageway: Altone Road to West Swan Road, November 2017.
21 WA Government, Main Roads Western Australia, NorthLink WA Traffic Update, August 2018.
22 WA Government, Media Statements, Lightning Park off-ramp to Reid Highway now open, 12 October 2018.