Wikipedia

Guildford Road

Guildford Roadis a major road inPerth,Western Australia, linking the inner-city suburb ofMount LawleywithGuildfordin the north-east. The ten-kilometre-long (6.2 mi)[2]road runs mostly parallel to theSwan River,on its northern side, and is part ofState Route 51,[3]which runs betweenPerth's CBDandMidvale.Guildford Road is maintained and controlled byMain Roads Western Australia,[4]which uses the internal designation "H026 Guildford Road" for Guildford Road, as well as Bridge Street and James Street in Guildford.[2]In the 1930s, the nameGreat Eastern Highwaywas coined to describe the road, but was actually used for the road on the other side of the Swan River.

Guildford Road

Western Australia
Guildford Road viewed from Sixth Avenue footbridge in Maylands
Road map showing Guildford Road between central Perth and Guildford to the north-east
Map of Perth with Guildford Road highlighted in red
General information
TypeRoad
Length9.2 km (5.7 mi)[1]
Opened1830s
Route number(s)State Route 51
Major junctions
Southwest endLord Street(State Route 51),Mount Lawley
Northeast endBridge Street(State Route 51),Bassendean
Location(s)
Major suburbsMaylands,Bayswater,Ashfield
Photo of single-carriageway, four-lane road
View north-east along Guildford Road in Ashfield. TheMidland railway lineis located next to the road.
View westbound from Bridge Street to West Road, past Bassendean Oval

Route description

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Guildford Road westbound in Bassendean

Guildford Road begins at athree-way junctionwithLord StreetandWalcott Streetin Mount Lawley. It runs in a north-easterly direction, passing under theMidland railway lineat the Mount Lawley Subway, and continuing through the residential areas ofMaylandsandBayswaterAfter afolded diamond interchangewithTonkin Highway,the road follows theMidland railway linetoBassendean.A short distance after the intersection with West Road and Bassendean Oval, the road narrows to a single lane in each direction, and Guildford Road becomes Bridge Street. Bridge Street crosses the Swan River, connecting to Guildford's main road, James Street.[5][6]

History

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Origins

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A road to Guildford was constructed in the 1830s, shortly after the founding of theSwan River Colony.Lieutenant Dale was appointed, and paid a salary, to construct a road and some small bridges. At a special meeting of the Agricultural Society on 8 April 1834, the quality was criticised as "the work of a rough carpenter", as was the fact that works finished at the road leading to the private residence of the Colonial Secretary.[7]The following week the comments regarding the extent of the works was described as erroneous, as there was some distance from the completed section to the branch road, and that "workmen were taken off the road at the express recommendation of the Agriculturists, to enable them to procure labourers during the harvest-time".[8]

By September 1840, the road was in a "shameful state" of disrepair, with many owners of horses for hire refusing to let their animals travel on the road. The local newspaper,The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal,speculated that the reason for the neglect was the road on the southern side of the Swan River would soon be open, and warned that until then, the cost of public injuries would likely be ten times the cost of necessary repairs.[9]

Naming

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The name Great Eastern Highway was coined by thePerth Road Boardin December 1933. It was suggested for the Perth to Guildford road on the north side of the Swan River (modern-day Guildford Road), as an alternative to theBassendean Road Board's proposal, Perth Road.[10][11]In February 1934, the Bassendean Road Board agreed to the name, as Perth Road would be too general, and the road was considered the main artery serving eastern districts, all the way through to Kalgoorlie.[12][13]Other local governments in the area considered the issue over the next few months. TheBayswater Road BoardandGreenmount Road Boardwere in favour of the idea,[14][15]butGuildford Road Boardwas opposed, as several local road names would be lost.[16]Greenmount, and public advertising, thereafter referred to the road as Great Eastern Highway,[17][18]and the council wrote to theMain Roads Department,requesting the name change begazetted.[15]This prompted Main Roads to write to other local governments, advising of the request and soliciting their views. TheMundaring Road BoardandKellerberrin Road Boardwere supportive,[19][20]while theKalgoorlie Road Boardsuggested Great Eastern Goldfields Highway.[21]TheKalgoorlie Municipal Councilagreed that the road should be known as a highway, but thought the name was inadequate for a road that only connected Midland Junction with Coolgardie.[22]TheMidland Junction Municipal Councilopposed the renaming, citing "sentimental and practical reasons for the continuance of the use of the old name".[23]

In August 1934, the Bassendean Road Board applied to Lands Department to change the portion of the Perth–Guildford road within its district to Great Eastern Highway. The department refused the request, reasoning that most traffic bound for Midland usedthe Causewayand travelled on the south side of the Swan River, and that therefore the Perth–Guildford road should not be part of the main highway.[24]Despite this setback, the Perth Road Board organised a local government conference to consider renaming the road from Perth to Guildford. The issue was considered important, as losing the name to the south side of the river would divert traffic away from the old established centres to the north. The straightening of dangerous bends and the replacement of an old bridge between Bassendean and Guildford were also to be considered.[25][26]The conference, held on 7 September 1934, was attended by representatives of the Perth, Bayswater, Bassendean, and Guildford road boards, and the Midland Junction Council. Guildford and Midland Junction were still opposed to the renaming, but the others were supportive. Motions that passed included submitting a rename proposal to the state government, urging the government to construct a new bridge at Bassendean, and approaching the government to have the road declared a main road.[27]

In November 1934, the state government Land Council contacted the local governments on the south side of the Swan River, asking them to rename the roads that make up the Causeway–Midland route as Great Eastern Highway. Both thePerth City CouncilandBelmont Park Road Boardagreed to the request.[28][29]This created a "peculiar situation", as described by theRoyal Automobile Club,with roads both north and south of the Swan River proposed to be renamed as Great Eastern Highway. Despite the name change not being official, some residents along the road through Belmont started describing their properties as located on Great Eastern Highway.[30]

Another conference of the local governments north of the river was held in December 1934. They decided to continue to pursue renaming the Perth–Guildford road to Great Eastern Highway, and having it gazetting as a main road. A letter from Commissioner of Main Roads had stated that the road through Belmont was considered the principle highway to the eastern states. He therefore recommended that if the name Great Eastern Highway were to be applied west of Midland Junction, it should be to that road, as the road through Bassendean was not considered a main road. Traffic counts collected by the Bassendean Road Board, however, showed that the north of river route, through Bassendean, carried more traffic in both directions than the southern route, through Belmont – 54% compared to 46%.[31]The northern route was also shorter by about two miles (3.2 km), and considered by the local governments to be the "natural entrance to the city", only crossing the Swan River once and not again at the Causeway.[32]

On 8 January 1935, representatives from the local governments north of the river urged Minister for Lands,Michael Troy,to rename the Perth–Guildford road through those areas as Great Eastern Highway. Despite the route being shorter and carrying more traffic, he refused. He said that it was not gazetted as main road, and a previous decision to rename the road through Belmont as Great Eastern Highway was made after considering the facts, and at the request of the Main Roads Board. There was resentment and an objection over the name being "pinched" from the Perth Road Board. The minister disregarded the objection. He advised the representatives to see the Minister for Works to get the road declared a main road, and then approach him with new name.[11][33]This resolved Great Eastern Highway's route, with the local governments north of the river pursuing other names such as Main Highway.[34]

Upgrades and improvements

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The Mount Lawley Subway had two main issues in its history, flooding during heavy rains[35]and "narrowness" created an ongoing issue until its widening.[36][37][38] The section nearBassendeanhas also been improved. As late as 1968, Guildford Road was aligned through Bassendean, curving multiple times.[39]It has since been realigned to the northern edge of the town centre, with the previous alignment now named Old Perth Road.[5][40]Old Perth Road has existed as a distinct road since at least 1992.[41]

During February 2016, work was completed to add additional turning lanes and install guardrails at the intersection with Tonkin Highway[42]

On 6 January 2017, theWestern Australian Planning Commission(WAPC) revealed plans to widen Guildford road from East Parade to Tonkin Highway by up to 10 metres (33 ft). A median strip was to be installed along the route, as well as on road cycling lanes for sections.Bus queue jumpfacilities were also going to be installed at intersection along the route. However, the road would remain as 2 lanes in each direction. Residents and businesses along the route criticised the plans, saying that they will lose parts of their yards, or businesses as a result of land being resumed due to the widening. They also questioned why another cycle path was needed in the area, because there are already two nearby, and said that there wasn't enough consultation by the WAPC. The Department of Planning's director-general Gail McGowan defended the plans by saying that there is a three-month public submissions period to the amendment, and that the widening was needed to improve safety. She also added that it was only the first part of a long consultation process, and that it was unlikely that the upgrade will be done that year. After a change of government, on 2 June 2017, the planning minister announced that the plans were scrapped.[43][44][45][46][47]

Junction list

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LGA[48][49][50]Location[5][6]kmmiDestinationsNotes
Vincent–StirlingboundaryMount Lawley0.00.0Lord Street(State Route 51)–Perth,East Perthsouthwest /Walcott Street(State Route 75)–Osborne Park,ScarboroughnorthwestGuildford Road south western terminus; Road continues southwest as Lord Street; Traffic light controlled t-junction
Vincent–Bayswaterboundary0.20.12East Parade (State Route 66)–East Perthsouth / Whatley Crescent–Maylands,BayswaternorthTraffic light controlled intersection with areverse jughandleturning lane from Guildford Road northeast to East Parade south
Bayswater0.80.50First Avenue north /Thirlmere Road –St John of God Mt Lawley HospitalFirst Avenue and Thirlmere Road one way in; Traffic light controlled intersection
Maylands1.81.1Eighth Avenue–MaylandsTraffic light controlled intersection
Bayswater3.42.1Garratt Road (State Route 55)–Dianella,BelmontTraffic light controlled intersection
4.22.6King William Street–Bayswater,MorleyTraffic light controlled intersection
5.13.2Tonkin Highway(State Route 4)–Armadale,Joondalup,Perth AirportFolded diamond interchange
5.53.4to Railway Parade–Bayswater,BassendeanTraffic light controlled t-junction
BassendeanBassendean7.24.5Collier Road–Bassendean,MorleyTraffic light controlled t-junction
7.94.9Old Perth Road–BassendeanTraffic light controlled t-junction
8.65.3West Street–Bassendeansouth / Lord Street–Lockridge,BeechboronorthTraffic light controlled intersection
9.25.7Bridge Street (State Route 51)–Guildford,Midland,MundaringGuildford Road north eastern terminus; Road continues as Bridge Street

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Google Maps".Google.Retrieved3 January2018.
  2. ^ab"Road Information Mapping System".Main Roads Western Australia. Archived fromthe originalon 28 September 2013.Retrieved11 December2013.
  3. ^Distance book(12 ed.). Main Roads Western Australia. 2012. pp. 4–5.ISBN978-0-7309-7657-8.Archived fromthe originalon 24 October 2012.Retrieved8 October2012.
  4. ^"Metropolitan Roads Controlled by Main Roads Western Australia".Main Roads Western Australia. 14 March 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 14 May 2013.Retrieved26 July2013.
  5. ^abc"Guildford Road"(Map).Google Maps.Retrieved11 December2013.
  6. ^abPerth Metropolitan Region: Local Governments and Localities(PDF)(Map). Cartography by Location Knowledge Services, Landgate. Western Australian Land Information Authority. 2012. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 29 October 2013.Retrieved25 July2013.
  7. ^"SPECIAL MEETING OF THE MEMBERS OF THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY".The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal.WA: National Library of Australia. 19 April 1834. p. 271.Retrieved12 December2013.
  8. ^"THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL".The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal.WA: National Library of Australia. 26 April 1834. p. 275.Retrieved12 December2013.
  9. ^"ON BANKING".The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal.WA: National Library of Australia. 5 September 1840. p. 3.Retrieved12 December2013.
  10. ^"News and Notes".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 21 December 1933. p. 18.Retrieved22 August2013.
  11. ^ab"Great Eastern Highway".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 9 January 1935. p. 16.Retrieved22 August2013.
  12. ^"Great Eastern Highway".The Daily News.Perth: National Library of Australia. 10 February 1934. p. 11 Edition: LATE CITY.Retrieved22 August2013.
  13. ^"News and Notes".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 12 February 1934. p. 14.Retrieved22 August2013.
  14. ^"Great Eastern Highway".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 28 February 1934. p. 16.Retrieved22 August2013.
  15. ^ab"Great Eastern Highway".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 5 March 1934. p. 14.Retrieved22 August2013.
  16. ^"Great Eastern Highway".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 24 February 1934. p. 19.Retrieved22 August2013.
  17. ^"News and Notes".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 7 April 1934. p. 16.Retrieved22 August2013.
  18. ^"Advertising".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 13 March 1934. p. 20.Retrieved22 August2013."At Log Cabin, Great Eastern Highway, Greenmount. Excellent accommodation, hotel menu."
  19. ^"Great Eastern Highway".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 4 May 1934. p. 18.Retrieved22 August2013.
  20. ^"Country News".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 20 April 1934. p. 4.Retrieved22 August2013.
  21. ^"Items of News".Kalgoorlie Miner.WA: National Library of Australia. 7 April 1934. p. 4.Retrieved22 August2013.
  22. ^"Items of News".Kalgoorlie Miner.WA: National Library of Australia. 5 April 1934. p. 4.Retrieved22 August2013.
  23. ^"Fairbridge Farm School".The Daily News.Perth: National Library of Australia. 10 April 1934. p. 7 Edition: Late City.Retrieved22 August2013.
  24. ^"Great Eastern Highway".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 1 August 1934. p. 6.Retrieved22 August2013.
  25. ^"Great Eastern Highway".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 4 August 1934. p. 5.Retrieved22 August2013.
  26. ^"Renaming of a Road".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 27 August 1934. p. 6.Retrieved22 August2013.
  27. ^"Road To Guildford".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 8 September 1934. p. 15.Retrieved22 August2013.
  28. ^"Perth City Council".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 14 November 1934. p. 18.Retrieved22 August2013.
  29. ^"Great Eastern Highway".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 15 November 1934. p. 16.Retrieved22 August2013.
  30. ^"Great Eastern Highway".The Daily News.Perth: National Library of Australia. 12 November 1934. p. 3 Edition: LATE CITY.Retrieved22 August2013.
  31. ^"Renaming of Road".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 13 December 1934. p. 21.Retrieved22 August2013.
  32. ^"Traffic on Guildford Roads".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 1 January 1935. p. 5.Retrieved22 August2013.
  33. ^"Deputation Annoyed About" Pinched "Street Name".The Daily News.Perth: National Library of Australia. 8 January 1935. p. 4 Edition: LATE CITY.Retrieved22 August2013.
  34. ^"Another Name For Guildford Road".The Daily News.Perth: National Library of Australia. 1 February 1935. p. 5 Edition: CITY FINAL.Retrieved22 August2013.
  35. ^"ROADS UNDER WATER".The West Australian.Perth: National Library of Australia. 3 May 1929. p. 21.Retrieved11 December2013.
  36. ^"Mount Lawley Subway".The Daily News.Perth: National Library of Australia. 1 August 1935. p. 2 Edition: LATE CITY.Retrieved11 December2013.
  37. ^Western Australian Government Railways Commission. Civil Engineering Branch; Hood, S. J. (1937),E.G.R. main Mt. Lawley proposed widening of subway,W.A.G.R. Civil Engineering Branch,retrieved11 December2013
  38. ^"Widening Mount Lawley Subway".The Sunday Times.Perth: National Library of Australia. 23 October 1938. p. 10.Retrieved11 December2013.
  39. ^E. S. E. (1968)."A Plan for the Swan and Canning Rivers (Map)"(PDF).Perth: Metropolitan Region Planning Authority.Retrieved17 December2013.
  40. ^"Re-New Old Perth Road".Town of Bassendean.Archivedfrom the original on 27 April 2013.Retrieved19 December2013.
  41. ^Town Planning Department; Townscape Taskforce (1992).Townscape implementation, Old Perth Road – West: A report of the Townscape Taskforce, February-May, 1992.Town of Bassendean.
  42. ^"Guildford Road / Tonkin Highway Intersection Upgrade - Main Roads Western Australia".Archived fromthe originalon 9 April 2017.Retrieved8 April2017.
  43. ^"Future of Guildford Road in limbo: State Government shelves extension plans".Fairfax Media. WA Today. 27 April 2017.Retrieved3 January2018.
  44. ^"Bayswater Council knocks back Guildford Road proposal".Fairfax Media. WA Today. 3 March 2017.Retrieved3 January2018.
  45. ^"Guildford Road widening plan: Maylands group calls for timeline on commitment to scrap proposal".Community News. Eastern Reporter.Retrieved3 January2018.
  46. ^"Guildford Road to Ruin".Guildford Road to Ruin.Retrieved3 January2018.
  47. ^"Perth Guildford Road expansion plan sparks fears for homes, businesses".ABC News. 6 January 2017.Retrieved3 January2018.
  48. ^"Wards & Boundaries".City of Vincent.Retrieved1 January2018.
  49. ^"Intramaps".Retrieved1 January2018.
  50. ^"Ward Information".City of Bayswater.Retrieved1 January2018.
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