Orrong Connect’s planning and development phase has concluded, according to Main Roads Western Australia. The study findings are intended to inform future planning and development of a business case; Main Roads has not announced a selected design, construction funding or a construction start date. So the “sinking” of Orrong Road is not confirmed as an approved or scheduled construction project.
What is Orrong Connect?
Orrong Connect is Main Roads Western Australia’s planning study for Orrong Road between Great Eastern Highway and Leach Highway. The corridor serves local trips as well as regional movement, linking Perth Airport, the Perth Hills, Welshpool and Kewdale. Main Roads describes traffic volumes as having increased significantly since Graham Farmer Freeway opened and says the corridor often operates at capacity. Main Roads’ project background
What is the project’s current status?
Main Roads’ current project page says the planning and development phase has concluded. Its findings are intended to inform future planning and the development of a future business case. That is a study milestone, not confirmation that a construction design has been selected or that work will begin. The official pages do not announce construction funding or a start date. Main Roads’ Orrong Connect project page
Why is change being considered?
Main Roads reports that around 65,000 vehicles, or 85,000 people, travel along Orrong Road each day. It also estimates that congestion along Orrong Road and Graham Farmer Freeway costs the local economy up to $65.7 million a year in lost productivity. These are agency-published estimates, not independently verified counts in the material cited here. Main Roads’ project background
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The study sought improvements to safety, congestion, connectivity and liveability. Main Roads says it used broad consultation, stakeholder engagement and a deliberative panel to explore options and help inform future planning. The available official information does not state a final panel recommendation.
Has the sunken-road concept been approved?
No approval of a sunken expressway is established by the current official project pages. The concept has a history: a 2019 planning study proposed a lowered expressway between Leach Highway and Great Eastern Highway, with surface roads crossing at designated intersections. Main Roads says the concept aimed to separate regional and local traffic, but also had impacts on adjacent properties. This earlier proposal is context for the study, not evidence that it has been selected as the final design. Main Roads’ project background
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Project materials identify decision factors that include safety, congestion, connectivity and liveability, as well as heritage, place, environment, transport innovation, and economic costs and benefits. The available information does not show how those competing considerations were resolved. Earlier PerthNow reporting noted concern about median trees and urban canopy, but the sources cited here do not establish the final treatment of those concerns.
What did the community say?
PerthNow reported in March 2025 that a 2024 Main Roads engagement survey had 705 respondents. According to that report, 80 per cent said the corridor required improvement, 70 per cent ranked reduced travel time as their top priority, and 34 per cent identified trees and urban canopy as a priority. These figures are PerthNow’s account of the earlier survey, not a current survey or a finding published on the current Main Roads project pages. PerthNow, 6 March 2025
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In the same report, a Main Roads spokesperson said: “We want to connect communities either side of Orrong Road and give all road users — trucks, cars, buses, pedestrians and cyclists — opportunities to move about safely and efficiently.” That statement describes the agency’s aim; it does not announce a final design.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When will construction start, and will congestion improve?
Main Roads has not published a construction start date on the official pages cited here, and the completed planning phase does not itself establish that construction is funded or scheduled. The evidence also does not establish whether, when or by how much traffic conditions will improve. Those answers depend on future planning and a business case, as well as any subsequent decisions on design and delivery.
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PerthNow’s March 2025 article said detailed planning and development was then expected to run to December 2026 and described the project as years from breaking ground. That was a timetable reported at the time, not the current status: Main Roads now says the planning and development phase has concluded. In the same 2025 report, then-Federal Minister Catherine King said the government had committed $10 million for planning works, including development of a business case to assess the expressway’s scope, design and cost. That reported planning commitment is not evidence of construction funding. PerthNow, 6 March 2025
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