New $5 million 28-bay Road Train Assembly Area opens at Abernethy Road
Overall Gateway WA project generated up to 1,000 jobs
Improves productivity, efficiency and safety for freight industry and community
Construction has been completed on a new 28-bay Road Train Assembly Area (RTAA), for 36.5 metre-long road trains, at Abernethy Road in Forrestfield.
Transport Minister Bill Marmion today said the $5 million RTAA was an important link in the Liberal National Government's Gateway WA Perth Airport and Freight Access Project, which has generated up to 1,000 jobs to date.
"This assembly area will greatly improve productivity, safety and amenity for the freight industry by reducing congestion on local roads," Mr Marmion said.
"Road trains, which previously had to park on local roadsides for trailer breakdown and assembly, now have a safe bitumen sealed area to park, drop a trailer and then deliver their loads to destinations.
"Freight operators will also no longer need to wait at the heavily congested intersections of Leach Highway or Kewdale Road/Horrie Miller Drive in order to travel southbound on Tonkin Highway or to connect to Roe Highway.
"By removing the majority of oversize load movements from the surrounding roads in Forrestfield, which are mainly residential, we are also improving safety for other road users in the community."
Using the RTAA as a 'shortcut' will improve productivity and efficiency for the freight industry by reducing the travel distance for oversized loads by 3.7 kilometres.
The RTAA is facilitated by the Abernethy Road on-ramp as it allows direct driveway access to Tonkin Highway and has been specifically designed to enable this manoeuvre by oversize loads.
Escorted oversized loads can now travel down the on-ramp from Tonkin Highway, using the purpose-built high wide load crossover in the RTAA to bypass the signalised junction and get directly onto Abernethy Road.
Fact File
For more information on the RTAA and the Gateway WA Perth Airport and Freight Access Project, visit MRWA Projects
Minister's office - 6552 6800
