Roe Highway - Stage 8 / The Fremantle Eastern Bypass

Stage 8 / The Fremantle Eastern Bypass

In the 1950s, Stephenson planned for Roe Highway to continue westwards from its present terminus at Kwinana Freeway towards Fremantle, through South Fremantle along Marine Terrace and then north to connect with Stirling Highway and the Port of Fremantle. As part of the plan, in 1974 Stirling Highway was extended from its then terminus north of the Swan River southwards to Canning Highway.

A narrow 4 km strip of land immediately south of this intersection was proclaimed for further road construction, but as it was not part of the original Stephenson Plan it was occupied by housing built before the time of Stephenson. Over a period of approximately 20 years, Main Roads Western Australia procured most of the land in question for the future road. In 1985, the first kilometre of this road was constructed, which extended Stirling Highway southwards from Canning Highway to Leach Highway (known as High Street west of Carrington Street). The remaining 3 km strip of land south of High Street then became known as the Fremantle Eastern Bypass.

At the southern end of the proposed Fremantle Eastern Bypass, an 8 km east-west road reservation was proclaimed. This became known as Roe Highway stage 8. This land however was lightly built up and much of it remained as urban bushland throughout the late 20th century. The Roe Highway stage 8 reservation was intended to be the final link of a major urban ring-road, as originally envisioned by Stephenson.

However, there were problems with the proposed link, a product of the changes made by governments since Stephenson's original plan. This included the deletion of the original inner Fremantle section and the proclaiming of the Fremantle Eastern Bypass. Some residents of Fremantle strongly objected to the proposed 4-lane dual carriageway Fremantle Eastern Bypass, claiming it would divide the area, damage urban woodland and impact on 3 nearby schools. Also, the proposed Roe Highway stage 8 would cut between North Lake and Bibra Lake, a location considered of high environmental value as a wetlands. The Environmental Protection Authority in its report on the proposed Roe Highway Stage 8 confirmed the high conservation status of the Beeliar Wetlands and the negative impacts a highway would have on the wetlands.

With a change of state governments in 2001, the planned Fremantle Eastern Bypass / Roe Highway stage 8 was cancelled, with a commitment by the government to sell the land reserved for the Fremantle Eastern Bypass. In doing this, the government put forward a '6-point plan' to cope with the anticipated growth of heavy vehicle traffic in and out of the Port of Fremantle, which included plans for better usage of rail, more efficient usage of trucks and a new deepwater container port near Rockingham. As promised, the Fremantle Eastern Bypass land was sold for a total of $17 million. These funds were then spent on a new grade separated interchange at the intersection of Leach Highway and Orrong Road in Welshpool.

During the period for public submissions on the planned cancellation and sell-off, City of Melville residents opposed the plan as the proposed Fremantle Eastern Bypass / Roe Highway stage 8 would have removed most trucks from Leach Highway, which, although classified as a state highway, travels through a number of residential suburbs. On the other hand the move was generally supported by Fremantle residents including the local MP, and also those concerned by the potential negative impact the proposed road would have on Bibra Lake wetlands.

As part of the funding arrangement for Roe Highway stages 6 and 7, the federal government, which provided some of the funding for those two stages, has stipulated that the Roe Highway stage 8 reservation is to be retained.

Following a change in state governments in September 2008, planning work has now commenced on an extension of the Roe Highway from Kwinana Freeway to Stock Road . Parliamentary debate was continuing in 2012 as the state government continued its intention to implement the plan.