WA’s Kwinana Freeway upgrade represents major opportunity for construction industry

The EOI process will result in a shortlist of design and construction companies that will be invited to proceed to the formal tender stage.

This milestone represents an opportunity for the construction industry to take part the A$700 million planned upgrade of one of Perth’s most critical transport corridors.

Kwinana Freeway carries around 100,000 vehicle trips each weekday, including commuters and freight traffic, making it one of Perth’s busiest transport corridors. This freeway also serves strategic industrial areas, such the Western Trade Coast in Kwinana, and connects to major interchanges like Roe Highway, facilitating movement of goods across the metropolitan area. 

The planned upgrade, valued at A$700 million (approx. US$455 million) and jointly funded by the Western Australia (WA) state government and the federal government, aims to ease congestion and improve travel times by targeting several pinch points along Kwinana Freeway, including:

• a new lane in each direction between Russell Road and Mortimer Road, increasing it from two lanes to three;
• a new southbound lane between Roe Highway and Berrigan Drive, increasing it from four lanes to five;
• a new northbound lane from Russell Road to Beeliar Drive, increasing it from three lanes to four; and
• new coordinated ramp signals on northbound on-ramps between Safety Bay Road and Roe Highway, to smooth the flow of traffic on the freeway at busy times.

Construction work on the Kwinana Freeway upgrade will begin in early 2027 and the project is expected to be completed in 2029, subject to regulatory approvals.

Planning and project development work is already underway, and over the next 18 months, key activities will include early design development for road, pedestrian, and cycling infrastructure and drainage, on site investigations, including identifying underground utilities and testing ground conditions, early concept development for urban landscape and design, environmental and heritage assessments to inform environmental processes and approvals and procurement planning for the construction delivery.

Strategic significance

Beyond immediate traffic congestion relief, the project is strategically significant for WA.

The WA government has framed the upgrade as critical for supporting jobs and economic growth. Federal infrastructure minister, Catherine King, said the project will “support jobs and economic growth and will deliver improvements in travel times, traffic flows, freight productivity and reliability”. 

Businesses that rely on this corridor for freight will benefit from smoother traffic and increased capacity. For the community, less time spent in traffic means increased productivity and more time at home, a point highlighted by local leaders., and the A$700 million investment itself will stimulate the economy through construction activity.

The upgrade is co-funded 50/50 by the Commonwealth and WA, each contributing A$350 million, reflecting a shared commitment by both the Albanese government and the Cook state government to improve Perth’s infrastructure. The upgrade was an election promise of the current WA government to make Kwinana Fwy “easier” to drive and the state and federal partnership demonstrates confidence in the project’s importance, alongside ensuring that funding is in place to proceed on schedule.

Importantly, this freeway upgrade is an enabler for the planned Kwinana Outer Harbour, the ‘Westport’ project, and the broader Western Trade Coast industrial hub. WA Premier, Roger Cook, emphasized that these upgrades will “support development of the Western Trade Coast” and align with his government’s “Made in WA” industrial plan.

Widening the Kwinana Freeway has been identified as an essential precursor to the new container port located in Kwinana, expected in the late 2030s. The added road capacity will help manage future increases in freight traffic once container operations shift from Fremantle to Kwinana, ensuring that the Westport port can operate efficiently, with safer, faster truck connectivity to inland freight routes. The upgrades will also benefit the growing industrial and defence precincts in the Kwinana area by alleviating existing bottlenecks and enabling expansion of those activities.

Implications and opportunities

This EOI marks a significant opportunity for major construction and engineering firms. With a budget of A$700 million, the Kwinana Freeway upgrade will be one of the largest ongoing road projects in Western Australia. Interest from major national and international firms with experience in freeway projects and large WA-based contractors should be expected, who may potentially form joint ventures or consortia to cover the design -and -construct scope.

The procurement strategy specifically seeks “design and construction partners”, although the exact procurement model is not yet clear. This means firms with robust design capabilities and innovative construction methodologies will have an edge. Early contractor involvement via the EOI and tender process could allow industry input to optimise the final design, for example by suggesting staging approaches to minimise traffic disruption or value-engineering the freeway widening.

A project of this magnitude will require large quantities of construction materials, such as concrete, asphalt, steel for reinforcement, precast barrier units and signalling equipment. This translates to opportunities for local suppliers and subcontractors, and the WA Government will encourage local content in procurement, meaning WA-based businesses should see a good share of subcontracts.

Winning or working on the Kwinana Freeway upgrade can strategically position construction and engineering firms for future projects in WA. This upgrade forms part of a broader plan, leading to and associated infrastructure like the Anketell Road upgrades. There will be further contracts in the next decade to build port facilities, rail links and other road improvements in the Kwinana area. Construction companies involved in this freeway project will gain experience with the local conditions, stakeholders, and technical requirements, giving them a foot in the door for upcoming Westport-related tenders.

With a high-profile A$700 million budget, tenderers should expect fierce competition among major contractors and consortia. Firms will need to demonstrate proven delivery of similar scale projects, strong safety and environmental records and the capacity to manage complex logistics and traffic disruptions.

The project is subject to environmental and planning approvals. Contractors must be prepared for this via, for example, rigorous environmental management plans, community consultation obligations and Indigenous engagement and heritage considerations.

Additionally, as the project is a federally funded, contractors will need to be aware of additional regulatory requirements, such as obtaining accreditation under the Work Health and Safety Accreditation Scheme, established under the Federal Safety Commissioner Act 2022 (Cth).

Co-written by Thomas Coleman of Pinsent Masons.