New bridge and busway to deliver travel time savings to bus users in Perth’s north
Construction is about to start on a dedicated bus bridge and busway on Charles Street, north of Perth’s CBD.
York Civil has been awarded the contract to design and build the project at a cost of $32.1 million with work to begin in April, the Western Australian (WA) Government announced this week.
“This project will result in the removal of more than 1,000 buses a day from James and Fitzgerald streets in Northbridge, alleviating traffic congestion and improving local amenity and access,” WA transport minister Dean Nalder says.
“This is a great congestion buster for our city, with benefits for bus users and motorists.
“Northern suburbs passengers commuting to the CBD could have their journey times reduced by up to six minutes during peak times.
“About 16,000 passengers a day will travel over the bridge and busway.”
It makes sense to invest in better bus infrastructure, according to Nalder as a bus takes up the road space of about 2.5 cars, but can carry 60 to 100 passengers depending on its size, so by giving priority to buses – more people can be moved faster.
The new bus bridge will be vital for future bus reliability, to help cope with growing demands on public transport and allow for the new busport to operate efficiently and at the required capacity.
The Charles Street bus bridge and busway should be complete and operational by early next year.