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Graham Farmer Freeway
Freeway in Perth, Western Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Graham Farmer Freeway is a 6.5-kilometre (4.0 mi) inner-city freeway in Perth, Western Australia. It links the Mitchell Freeway in West Perth to Great Eastern Highway and Orrong Road in Burswood, providing an east–west bypass of the Perth central business district. Named after Australian rules footballer Polly Farmer, the Graham Farmer Freeway has a 1.6-kilometre (1 mi) cut-and-cover tunnel through Northbridge known as the Northbridge Tunnel.
After decades of proposals, the Western Australian state government committed in 1993 to building the City Northern Bypass, as it was known at the time. After trenched and partially tunnelled options were assessed, it was chosen that the bypass would be fully tunnelled through Northbridge. The construction was split into two main contracts. The section from the Mitchell Freeway to East Parade, including the Northbridge Tunnel, was constructed by the Baulderstone–Clough Joint Venture. The section from East Parade to Great Eastern Highway, including the Windan Bridge across the Swan River, was constructed by the Transfield Thiess Joint Venture.
The Northbridge Tunnel was constructed top-down, by constructing the ceiling and walls first, then excavating the inside. This caused large disruption to Northbridge. Construction on the tunnel started in March 1997 from the western end; breakthrough at the eastern end was achieved in January 1999. The Windan Bridge was constructed between December 1997 and September 1999 using the incremental launch method. The Graham Farmer Freeway opened to traffic on 24 April 2000, resulting in a decrease in traffic on The Causeway and Riverside Drive. In 2013, a third lane was added to the tunnel in each direction by subsuming the emergency stopping lane.
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The freeway's western terminus is a hybrid interchange, combining a Full Y interchange with the Mitchell Freeway, an exit to James Street, and an entrance ramp from and exit ramp to Loftus Street. The interchange also incorporates a partial Y interchange that connects Charles Street to the Mitchell Freeway. This is known as the Hamilton Interchange.
Immediately east of the interchange is the Northbridge Tunnel, Western Australia's only freeway tunnel. The 1.6-kilometre (1 mi) tunnel has three traffic lanes in each direction, with an escape passageway between the carriageways. The tunnel is colloquially known as the "Polly Pipe", a reference not only to the freeway's namesake, but also to the colloquialism "Poly Pipe" in reference to plastic pipes (commonly made from polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride materials) used in reticulation and plumbing.[1] Both tunnel portals feature public art installations. At the western end, there is a pictorial history of Northbridge, and at the eastern end, the Aboriginal artist Ron Corbett created images based on indigenous artwork. The transportation of dangerous goods and explosives through the freeway tunnel is prohibited.[2]
At the eastern end of the tunnel is the diamond interchange with East Parade, which connects the freeway to East Perth. The East Parade exit ramps allow traffic movements to the opposite entrance ramp, as the westbound entrance ramp also connects to Lord Street, whilst the eastbound exit ramp merges with a ramp from Lord Street. This allows a connection between the city centre and the freeway, via Lord Street.
The freeway then crosses the Swan River over the 406-metre (1,332 ft), six lane Windan Bridge.[3][4][5] The bridge is one of the more recent constructions of the 19 bridges that cross the river. It includes pedestrian and cycling access.[6]
Graham Farmer Freeway continues into Burswood as a six lane freeway. There is a diamond interchange with Victoria Park Drive for access to the adjacent Belmont Park Racecourse, and the nearby Optus Stadium and Crown Perth complex. The eastern terminus is a modified diamond interchange with Great Eastern Highway, that includes a looped ramp for the south-westbound to north-eastbound traffic movement. The freeway continues south-east as Orrong Road, an arterial road that is also part of State Route 8.
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Planning
The September 1993 Burswood Bridge and Road Study recommended the construction of the northern bypass road and a third major river crossing in the East Perth area. The report recommended two options: one with two short tunnels for $235 million, and another with no tunnels for $155 million. The first option would have had tunnels from Stirling Street to west of Beaufort Street, and from Lake Street to Fitzgerald Street.[7] A public comments period began thereafter.[8] Public hearings were held in the first half of 1994.[9] The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) recommended in mid-1994 that the road's alignment through East Perth be moved south towards the railway line and lowered, saving 48 properties and impacting 13 new properties. The MPC also recommended that the route be fully tunnelled instead of partially, in response to public submissions.[10] The other options divided Northbridge too much and produce too much noise and air pollution. It was ruled the full tunnel's aesthetic, environmental and social benefits would outweigh the increased cost of $300 million. Land acquisition began in October 1994.[11] In April 1995, it was announced that the City Northern Bypass would be constructed for $335 million, funded by a four cents per litre increase in the fuel levy and from the consolidated revenue fund.[12]
Construction
The construction of the City Northern Bypass, as it was known at the time, was divided into two contracts. The first contract involved the construction of the Northbridge Tunnel, the interchanges with the Mitchell Freeway and Lord Street, and a 250-metre (820 ft) rail tunnel for the Midland line to pass under the freeway. Five consortia expressed interest in this contract;[13] three of them were shortlisted in August 1995: Baulderstone Hornibrook and Clough; the Citypass Consortium, consisting of John Holland, McConnell Dowell and Obayashi Corporation; and Transfield and Thiess.[14] The Baulderstone–Clough Joint Venture was announced as the preferred tenderer in February 1996;[15] the contract was signed three months later for $203.8 million.[16][17] Construction on the tunnel began in September 1996.[18]
The second contract involved the construction of the bridge across the Swan River and the freeway between East Parade and Great Eastern Highway / Orrong Road. Four consortia submitted expressions of interest: Baulderstone–Clough Joint Venture; Leighton Contractors; Transfield Thiess Joint Venture; and John Holland. The first three were shortlisted in July 1996.[19] The Transfield Thiess Joint Venture was chosen as the preferred proponent in November 1996;[20] the contract was signed in March 1997 for $59.4 million.[21][22]
In April 1996, the Environmental Protection Authority ruled that the City Northern Bypass would not need a formal environmental assessment as environmental issues could be managed through the standard development processes.[23]
The tunnel was constructed using a top-down method. The roof and walls were poured first, and then the tunnel was excavated. The first section of roof to be poured was the western section, at Fitzgerald Street in March 1997.[24] By August 1997, the tunnel construction site had reached 600 metres (2,000 ft) long, with 400 metres (1,300 ft) of walls and 200 metres (660 ft) of roof in place, and less than 100 metres (330 ft) of tunnel excavated. Due to the area's high water table, dewatering was required.[25] During construction, a series of public open days for the Northbridge Tunnel were held, the first of which were in March 1998.[26][18][27] As the tunnel passed through Weld Square, two century-old Moreton Bay figs and a kurrajong tree were cut down. Six more century-old trees were relocated.[28] The location of the tunnel in the vicinity of the intersection of Newcastle and Beaufort Streets was changed close to when construction began in that area, locating the tunnel further south, giving local businesses little notice before disruptions began.[29] As it the most intricate part of the construction process, the intersection was closed in June 1998 and reopened in November 1998.[30] Breakthrough to the eastern end of the tunnel occurred in January 1999.[31][32]
A $72 million budget blowout was revealed in May 1998, taking the budget to $407 million. This was blamed on material cost escalation, Main Roads overhead that was not accounted for in the original budget, and scope increases such as the interchange at Great Eastern Highway and a video traffic monitoring system.[33] Transport Minister Eric Charlton claimed that there was no cost blowout and that "everything is within expectations".[34]
Earthworks for the bridge across the Swan River began in December 1997 and piling began in March 1998. The 403-metre (1,322 ft) bridge was constructed using the incremental launch method. The first of nineteen launches occurred in September 1998; the last launch took place in September 1999, by which point construction on the freeway was two months ahead of schedule.[35] In April 2000, the bridge was named the Windan Bridge, after the wife of Yellagonga, the chief of the Mooro tribe of the Whadjuk Noongar people in the 1830s. The bridge is located roughly on the site where Windan was buried.[36]
In October 1997, Charlton announced that the City Northern Bypass would be named after Australian rules footballer Graham "Polly" Farmer. Farmer had played for East Perth and West Perth in the Western Australian Football League, akin to how the Northbridge Tunnel links West Perth and East Perth. He had also played for Geelong in the Victorian Football League. The broke the tradition of freeways and highways being named after political figures.[37][38] The Graham Farmer Freeway was officially opened on 22 April 2000 by Premier Richard Court and Polly Farmer. As part of the opening celebrations, the public were allowed to walk through the Northbridge Tunnel.[39][40] The freeway opened to traffic at 2:30 am on 24 April 2000.[41][42] The final cost was $374 million, after Main Roads overhead is removed.[40][43]
Post-opening
By October 2000, an average of 65,000 vehicles per day were using the Graham Farmer Freeway,[44] with a peak of 106,000 vehicles on 28 April.[45] Traffic on Riverside Drive had reduced from 50,000 vehicles per day before the freeway opened to 27,000 per day, and traffic on The Causeway had reduced from 107,000 vehicles per day to 70,000 per day. Traffic had reduced on Adelaide Terrace, Shepperton Road and the Mitchell Freeway off-ramps to James Street and Charles Street as well.[44][46] In May 2000, work commenced at The Causeway on converting one lane in each direction to a bus lane.[47]
In February 2011, Main Roads Western Australia confirmed that it was investigating adding a third lane in each direction through the Northbridge Tunnel by subsuming the emergency stopping lane.[48] A project to add a third lane was officially confirmed in March 2012. Also included in the project was an additional lane along the Mitchell Freeway for 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) to Hutton Street, the widening of several bridges across the Mitchell Freeway, and the construction of an additional on-ramp from the Loftus Street exit from the tunnel. The project was deemed necessary in part due to the increase in traffic caused by the closure of Riverside Drive for the construction of Elizabeth Quay. The total cost was $57 million.[49][50]
The lane addition was controversial due to the reduction in safety; in the weeks leading up to construction, the Victorian coroner Jennifer Coate released her report into the 2007 Burnley Tunnel crash in Melbourne, which recommended that new tunnels have emergency lanes. Premier Colin Barnett said that the tunnel was always built to have three lanes.[51][52] The third lane in the eastbound tunnel opened on 16 April 2013,[53] and in the westbound tunnel on 29 April 2013. A reduced speed limit was put in place for about a month to allow drivers to get used to the change.[54][55] By 2014, the rate of crashes in the tunnel was roughly the same as before the extra lanes were added, despite the extra traffic.[56] By 2016, over 110,000 vehicles travelled on the Graham Farmer Freeway per day.[57]
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