Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre: CBD traffic gridlock expected as construction work set to start

Perth is set for a real taste of gridlock, with warnings of traffic queues of more than 800 metres in morning peak hour for almost a year. Some CBD traffic bottlenecks are set to get five times worse and could be so choked they face “operational failure,” spilling over into the entire city road network, with traffic set to be “beyond saturation” and rated “F.” The source of the frustration is imminent early construction works on the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, set to kick off in October, forcing the closure of Swan River-hugging Birdiya Drive to allow a tunnel to be built and the centre to be extended towards the foreshore, while other surrounding streets will also be closed and key intersections altered. City of Perth staff have warned surrounding streets will be so choked, traffic queues could surge to up to 833 metres and the entire CBD road network will be affected, including choking points at freeway on and off-ramps. The $16.6 million works are early stage preparations for the broader Convention Centre redevelopment, which is yet to be funded. But with other major projects planned within the CBD over the next few years — including the Concert Hall redevelopment, the already delayed changes on Hay Street to make it a two-way stretch, and the Aboriginal Cultural Centre — motorists are set for long-running frustration. The immediate jams are set to aggravate 21,000 motorists each day, and could make some of Perth’s most congested intersections even more jammed as motorists are forced to find alternate routes across the city. There are concerns some affected motorists, in seeking an alternate route, will end up on Thomas Street, which is already choked and several of its intersections have already been deemed by Main Roads to be among Perth’s 20 most congested. Alongside closing Birdiya Drive for at least eight months, the State Government intends to modify the Spring Street and William Street intersections along Mounts Bay Road, according to council documents. Councillors were also presented with damning figures on the modelling of the closure, giving the level of service of the alternative route of Spring Street the lowest rating of F at both morning and evening peak-hour times, reaching “beyond saturation” levels. It also predicted Mill Street would be beyond saturation at both peak-hour times. William Street, however, would see a marginal improvement in the evening peak-hour time, dropping below saturation from current levels. The council wants the State Government to complete “holistic” modelling to show the impact of the planned road closures across the entire city, and have any further planning to mitigate the impact agreed between the two. But city advocates have urged motorists and the broader community to be patient and remember the short-term pain will be worthwhile. Committee for Perth chief executive officer Paula Rogers said major projects like the Convention Centre redevelopment would create a “different energy” and plenty of opportunity for residents, retailers and businesses. “I think it’s very exciting to see the scale of change that is going to transform the city of Perth in the next few years,” she told The Sunday Times. As part of the early works, at the Spring Street and Mounts Bay Road intersection — near Woodside’s headquarters — the Government plans a widening and new lanes to increase capacity and improve the traffic flow from the freeway off-ramp. This will eventually include a dedicated freeway access lane. While no changes are yet planned for nearby Mill Street — though busport access could yet be affected — there will be substantial changes at the William Street-Mounts Bay Road intersection, which will be reconfigured to include a second exit lane. Traffic engineers believe traffic will only improve at William Street and Mounts Bay Road, in both morning and evening peak, and only because Birdiya Drive will be closed. Access at Spring St and Mounts Bay Rd is set to collapse to an “F” rating in both morning and afternoon peak, under modelling by the Convention Centre’s traffic consultant and presented in council documents. This rating translates to “forced flow/breakdown” and is expected to see queues in morning peak balloon from 161m to 833m. In evening peak, queues would more than double from 212m to 546m. Evening peak queues are also expected to triple at Mill Street, from 126m to 420m, and more than double in the morning, from 95m to 196m. “Mill Street intersection will approach operation failure in PM peak without physical changes,” the City of Perth report warns. “Spring St will become the primary inbound/outbound route for traffic displaced by Birdiya Drive, causing severe congestion with queue lengths increasing fivefold . . . when compared to the current situation.” City of Perth Western Residents president Anna Vanderbom said her group was concerned at the widespread impact, from bus routes to access to hospitals, as well as to people who live in the city. “There is so much commuting happening and it’s going to be putting people’s lives at risk,” she said. “People need to have access to both the northern and the southern aspects of the freeway and not being able to do that from Mounts Bay Road will be huge. “Even if most of us used public transport, it would still be a nightmare.” Council staff raised concerns about the lack of modelling about the impact across the rest of the road network and about how other State Government projects could also affect traffic, including any changes to the Causeway Bridge for new ferry services and Water Corporation pipeline replacements at Point Fraser and Ozone Reserve in East Perth before the bridge. The issue was discussed by council as a last-minute urgent agenda item on Tuesday, and was not presented at its usual pre-meeting agenda briefing a week prior. It passed a motion urging greater co-operation from the Government. Residents groups say the rushed nature of getting the information has left them in the dark. “We’re disappointed we weren’t consulted or briefed on these plans particularly as they will be in place for at least several months and will have a massive impact on journey times and congestion in our area, adding another layer of complexity to residents’ travel routines,” Ms Vanderbom said. “Not to be consulted on a major traffic impact event is disappointing to say the least. “Without the benefit of that consultation they haven’t got the public behind them.” The State Government and the Committee for Perth urged patience for the end result “I understand we are fast approaching local government elections, but this motion is premature,” said Planning Minister John Carey, the local member. “The City of Perth will be updated on the project as appropriate and stakeholders will continue to be engaged with throughout the process as design and scoping work occurs. “Our Government is delivering on a number of ambitious developments that will increase vibrancy in our city, improve amenity for local residents and boost housing supply.” Ms Rogers said she was excited for what was to come. “Like everything, change also causes frustration, and in terms of if streets have to be closed or access taken away from the citizens of Perth for a period of time, that always causes frustration,” she said. “I think it’s very important that the city and organisations like Committee for Perth work together to communicate, and with Development WA and Main Roads, as much as possible. Because I think frustration comes from not knowing.”