Transport Minister Rita Saffioti has today announced a new footbridge will be built across Tonkin Highway at Ballajura, to provide cyclists and pedestrians access to METRONET’s future Malaga Station and to Whiteman Park.
A community survey undertaken by METRONET in 2021 prioritised connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists to the train station and throughout the area.
The bridge will be designed and built by the Tonkin Gap Alliance, which is upgrading Tonkin Highway between Dunreath Drive and Collier Road and providing rail-enabling works for the new Morley-Ellenbrook Line along Tonkin Highway from Bayswater to Malaga.
Access to the new bridge will be via the principal shared path along Tonkin Highway, close to the Premier Place access point on the west side, giving pedestrians and cyclists easy access to the station and improving connections for bicycle commuters.
The design of the footbridge will include open, well-lit areas with lines of sight and supporting natural surveillance.
Privacy of residents living in nearby properties will be considered and managed.
Further community consultation will take place before construction starts in the new year.
The 21 kilometre METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line will provide new transport options for Perth’s north-east suburbs with five new stations between Bayswater and Ellenbrook.
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
“The METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Train Line is a game changer for communities in our northeast, and ensuring we provide a range of access options to the new train stations will be critical.
“This footbridge will add to the ways people can access the new station when it opens, as well as provide improved east-west connectivity to communities on either side of Tonkin Highway.
“Feedback from a community survey in 2021 indicated that people wanted to be able to walk and cycle to the station, and that they also desired better connectivity from Ballajura and through to Whiteman Park.
“As the bridge will be located close to existing homes, we will look for opportunities for the community to be involved and provide input into some of the design elements.”
