LLOYD STREET BRIDGE SEPTEMBER 2021 Great Eastern Highway Bypass Interchanges Project The Great Eastern Highway Bypass Interchanges project includes the extension of Lloyd Street from its current end point adjacent to Bunnings to the Great Eastern Highway Bypass, including a new bridge over the Helena River. The Lloyd Street extension will create a new southern entry to Midland, providing improved access to St John of God Hospital, the Curtin University campus and a developing retail and entertainment precinct. The extension is expected to reduce traffic on Military Road in Midland and on the section of Clayton Street between Military Road and Lloyd Street. It is also expected to reduce traffic volumes through Guildford by 15 – 20 percent. This is because the Bypass, Lloyd Street and the Lloyd Street Bridge will offer a higher speed and more efficient route to Midland than the current route via Great Eastern Highway. The extension of Lloyd Street and the bridge over the Helena River is being delivered by Main Roads and the Greater Connect Alliance on behalf of the City of Swan as part of the Great Eastern Highway Bypass Interchanges project. Why is the Lloyd Street extension and bridge needed? • Traffic modelling undertaken in 2013 indicated significant growth in future years. • City of Swan identified a need for an alternative north-south route through the Hazelmere area into Midland. • The bridge represents a ‘missing link’ in the Lloyd Street connection, which has been constructed progressively over the past decade. • Economic analysis indicated that the bridge over the Helena River is the best option to provide this additional north-south route. • The new bridge will be an important strategic link in the future road network and is expected to take pressure off other existing north-south routes including Roe Highway, Military Road and Bushmead Road. Extension of Lloyd Street to the Bypass is expected to have significant benefits in travel time, cost and net emissions including saving up to 12 minutes for commuters currently detouring around the river. It is also expected to reduce traffic volumes through Guildford by 15 – 20 percent. Bridge Design • The bridge is proposed to be a single span steel girder bridge • The effective span of the bridge is 57 metres long. The span length helps improve waterway performance in higher (1 in 100 year) storm events by maximising the open space around the vicinity of the river channel. • The bridge batter approach will generally have a 1 in 6 slope. This batter design enhances the success of rehabilitation with a variety of tree species to replace those cleared for the project as well as establishing understorey that currently does not exist. • The Lloyd Street extension from Great Eastern Highway Bypass to Clayton Street will be a dual carriageway with a 60km/h speed limit. • The bridge will have a shared path on one side and a foot path on the other. The shared path will tie in with the new Principal Shared Path being constructed along the Great Eastern Highway Bypass. The foot path will tie in with the local footpath network. • Opportunities to provide better access to the banks of the river and include cultural markers as part of the bridge design will be explored. What is the impact of the bridge construction on the environment? As with all major infrastructure, there will be some environmental impacts that will be closely managed and monitored during construction. Care will be taken to protect and minimise impacts of construction on the environment. The project team will undertake detailed environmental risk assessments for all aspects of the project including consideration of issues associated with culture and heritage, dust, flora and fauna, waterways, hazardous substances, noise and vibration, and spoil management. After the hazards, impacts and risks are identified, control measures will be implemented to mitigate or eliminate risks. Lloyd Street Bridge The Lloyd Street extension and bridge is co-funded by the State and Federal Governments and the City of Swan. In 2019, the City’s Build Bridges Not Traffic campaign received strong support from thousands of local residents in Midland and surrounding areas.