New $100m WA Tonkin Hwy interchange to support growth in Ellenbrook

A new interchange on the Tonkin Highway north of Ellenbrook in Western Australia is closer to becoming a reality as the State Government allocates $25 million towards this project as part of the 2022-23 State Budget. 

The $100 million North Ellenbrook Interchange is going to be funded with an additional $25 million through private investment and $50 million from the Australian Government – which was announced in the recent Federal Budget for Western Australia. 

“Ellenbrook continues to grow at an exponential rate and constituents in the north of our town continually tell me they need easier access to Tonkin Highway. 

“This key piece of infrastructure will help thousands of current and future residents on their daily commute. I’m excited to see the difference it will make to our local area,” Swan Hills MLA Jessica Shaw said. 

With the growing demand for housing in the popular north-east corridor, major new developments on both sides of the Tonkin Highway are being planned to meet this demand. 

The new interchange is going to be built between Warbrook and Maralla roads, and it is expected to provide an opportunity for urban development for about 10,000 new homes to support the expected population increase of 30,000 people over the next two decades. 

Once open to traffic, the interchange will provide residents in the area with safer and more efficient access, building on the benefits from other infrastructure such as the Tonkin Gap project and METRONET’s Morley-Ellenbrook Line. 

“This brand-new interchange will help create new suburbs and housing estates for our growing north-eastern corridor. 

“The new interchange will allow for the creation of new homes for Western Australians. 

“Importantly, it will also unlock land to the north of Ellenbrook, providing up to 10,000 homes to support Perth’s growing population which is driving demand for new, more affordable homes. 

“These new homes will be well connected by road and will of course have access to the new METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line,” Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said. 

In addition, areas to the north of North Ellenbrook Interchange are also being proposed to be transformed into future industrial land through the Bullsbrook Freight and Industrial Land Strategy that covers around 270 hectares and supporting almost 9,000 jobs by 2040. 

The new interchange on Tonkin Highway will significantly improve accessibility to future industrial and residential estates in the area and it will play an essential role in facilitating the planned development of this fast-growing region. 

Works on the North Ellenbrook Interchange are due to commence in 2024-25. 

Source: Government of Western Australia – Media Statements; Infrastructure Magazine