A Western Australian parliamentary question addresses the safety and cost implications of adding a northbound lane to the Mitchell Freeway alongside the railway, specifically focusing on barrier effectiveness and cost comparison with widening into Lake Monger.

AnsweredQoN 461Legislative Council
Asked
27 June 2012
Portfolio
Transport

QuestionView source ↗

MITCHELL FREEWAY — ADDITIONAL
NORTHBOUND LANE
461. Hon KEN TRAVERS to the minister representing the
Minister for Transport:
I refer to the proposed plan to build a new northbound lane
on the railway side of Mitchell Freeway from Loftus Street to Hutton Street.
(1) What will be the minimum distance between traffic on the
freeway and the side of a railway carriage?
(2) What type of safety barrier is being proposed to separate
the railway from the road?
(3) Will the barriers prevent heavy vehicles from invading
the rail corridor?
(4) Will the track be above, at or below road level in this
narrow corridor?
(5) What is
the additional cost of this option compared with the option of widening the
freeway into Lake Monger conservation area?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the honourable member for some notice of this
question. Main Roads WA advises —
(1) It will be 5.5 metres, in accordance with Public
Transport Authority requirements.
(2) The safety barrier will be one that is designed to
prevent vehicles entering the railway from the road.
(3) The
barriers comply with American Association of State Highway and Transport
Officials crash testing standards. They also comply with PTA requirements for
the level of protection required for the freeway. This type of barrier is
currently used along the full length of Mitchell Freeway.
(4) The track
level varies along the route.
(5) There is
no additional cost.

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