WESTERN AUSTRALIA STATE ROUTES
A sample of new State Route signage on Kwinana Freeway at the Narrows Interchange. Source: Vi Ong, Feb 2006.
In this section:
Overview of Western Australia State Route system
Western Australia has a system of blue-shielded state routes to guide motorists around the major roads of the state. The State Route system is intended to complement the National Route system (including National Highways), which comprises the major highways in the state, i.e. those serving a national function. The majority of State Routes are located in the Perth metropolitan area and only two routes are located to the north of Mount Magnet, giving an indication of just how much Western Australia’s settlement is concentrated into the south-west of the State.
Main Roads WA has described the State Route system thus: ‘the white on blue shields indicate the main urban and inter-regional routes. They are the signs which will most commonly be seen in urban areas.’ Yes, I know, not overly insightful.
The State Route system essentially operates as a four-tier system. Luke Wright, on his former Roadside.AU website defined each tier of the system and I shall borrow something from those definitions because they are probably the best way of describing them:
Major Perth Arterials: State Routes 2-8
These are the major arterial routes in Perth, almost all of which are along highway routes controlled by MRWA - the lone exception if State Route 5 through Perth CBD. There doesn’t appear to be a discernible pattern to their location.
Regional Arterials: State Routes 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 & 60
These routes are the major radial routes from the Perth area to neighbouring country centres. They begin with SR10 (which departs south-west from Bunbury), thence are located in an anti-clockwise direction, finishing with SR60 (which heads north from Perth to Lancelin). Some of these routes, notably SR30 and SR40, extend for hundreds of kilometres, and all of them leave the Perth metropolitan area. Basically, if you don’t leave Perth on a National Route, you will leave it on one of these.
Metropolitan State Routes: 2-digit routes other than those previously mentioned
These routes are your ordinary metropolitan state routes, forming a network of through routes across a combination of state-controlled roads and local roads. They appear to begin in the south-west and increase as you head north, somewhat in an anti-clockwise direction. It is possible they are based on a zonal system though, as the routes with the same first digit appear to be located near each other.
Rural State Routes: 3-digit routes
These routes are your ordinary rural state routes, connecting towns with each other and the major highways. Most of them are fully sealed, the two exceptions being 136 and 138 in the Pilbara region. Numbers begin in the south and increase the further you go north. At this stage there are no routes north of the Pilbara, but surely Gibb River Road would be worthy of inclusion in the State Route system in the future.
The Western Australian State Route system was introduced in 1986, with the first signs appearing in April of that year. Most of the routes were introduced progressively over the next few years, and I believe that the system was fully signed by 1995.
The system was probably introduced at that time due to the rapid development of the Perth metropolitan area from about the late 1970s onwards and the plan for the State Route system incorporated the future construction of a number of roads. As the plan was being rolled out in the late 1980s, substantial lengths of the Kwinana Freeway, Roe Highway, Reid Highway and Tonkin Highway were being constructed.
Since the system was introduced there has been only one major change - the introduction of State Route 8 with the opening of Graham Farmer Freeway in 2000. Other than that there have only been minor changes, such as the extension of routes into rapidly-developing areas north of Perth or the relocation/extension of roads within the metropolitan area. These will be discussed under each individual route.
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Luke Wright’s former Roadside.AU website (no longer exists)
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Main Roads Western Australia (MRWA), Driving By Numbers, September 1989, May 1992 and April 1995 Editions.
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Personal correspondence with Main Roads Western Australia
List of active Western Australian State Routes
Indexed by type, thence in numerical order
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Mitchell Freeway, Kwinana Freeway & Forrest Highway |
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Reid Highway & Roe Highway |
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Tonkin Highway |
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Causeway, Riverside Drive, Mounts Bay Road & Stirling Highway |
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Canning Highway |
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Leach Highway |
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Graham Farmer Freeway, Orrong Road & Welshpool Road East |
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South-west Loop from Bunbury to Shannon via Busselton, Augusta, Nannup & Northcliffe |
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Armadale to Bunbury |
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Albany Highway |
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Albany Highway, Kenwick (section of SR30 bypassed by Kenwick Link) |
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via Brookton Highway
|
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Midland to Toodyay via Toodyay Road |
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Perth to Dongara |
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Fremantle to Kwinana via Cockburn Road |
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Fremantle to Armadale via South Street |
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Fremantle to Armadale via Armadale Road, Beeliar Drive, Spearwood Avenue |
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Rockingham loop |
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Mandjoogoordap Drive (Mandurah Entrance Road) |
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Thomas Road |
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Rockingham to Albany Highway via Mundijong & Jarrahdale Roads |
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Manning Road |
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High Road |
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Nicholson Road |
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Spencer Road & Fremantle Road |
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|
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Perth to Midland via Guildford Rd |
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West Swan Road |
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Beaufort Street, Broun Avenue & Beechboro Road North |
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Dianella to Hazelmere via Garratt Road Bridge & Abernethy Road |
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Perth to Gnangara via Alexander Drive |
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Nedlands to Joondanna via Thomas Street |
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Innaloo to Nedlands via Floreat |
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City Beach to East Perth via Subiaco |
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|
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Cottesloe to Yanchep via West Coast Highway & Marmion Avenue |
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City Beach to Perth via Grantham Street |
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Scarborough to Mount Lawley via Scarborough Beach Road & Walcott Street |
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Morley Drive & Karrinyup Road |
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Erindale Road |
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Warwick Road & Marangaroo Drive |
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Hepburn Avenue |
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Whitfords Avenue & Gnangara Road |
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Ocean Reef Road |
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Joondalup to Bullsbrook via Joondalup Drive, Neaves Road & Rutland Road |
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|
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Muirs Highway |
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Vasse Highway (Busselton-Nannup) |
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Bunbury to Lake King via Collie & Wagin |
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Northam to Pithara via Goomalling & Wongan Hills |
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Bindoon to Dongara via The Midlands Road |
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Toodyay to Cranbrook via Northam & Narrogin |
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Nanaturra Roadhouse to Munjina via Wittenoom |
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Newman to Port Hedland via Marble Bar |
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Karratha to Tom Price |
Last updated 23 December 2012 © Ozroads 2003-2012. |