 | This article needs to beupdated. The reason given is:Restructure to better reflect Birdiya Drive being a separate road now. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2023) |
Riverside Drive, Perth | |||
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| View from thePerth Convention Centre, 2008 | |||
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| General information | |||
| Type | Road | ||
| Length | 3.4 km (2.1 mi) | ||
| Route number(s) |  State Route 5 | ||
| Major junctions | |||
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| East end | The Causeway(State Route 5),East Perth | ||
 Plain Street(State Route 65) | |||
| West end |  Barrack Street(State Route 53) | ||
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| North-east end | William Street(State Route 53) | ||
 Mitchell Freeway(State Route 2) | |||
| South-west end | Mounts Bay Road(State Route 5),Perth | ||
Riverside Drive inPerth, Western Australia, is a road on the northern side ofPerth Water. It was built on reclaimed land in the 1930s, and linksThe Causeway to theNarrows Bridge.
Riverside Drive is part ofState Route 5. It begins at the intersection ofThe Causeway,Adelaide Terrace, andHay Street, which is atraffic light controlledraindrop roundabout. Riverside Drive heads west-north-west, parallel to the edge ofPerth Water and the city's other arterial roads. It passes byLangley Park andSupreme Court Gardens before reachingBarrack Street and theBarrack Street Jetty. Earlier, till 26 January 2014, it continued through toWilliam Street alongside the former site of The Esplanade, now the location ofElizabeth Quay. Ramps to theKwinana Freeway and from theMitchell Freeway connect to the intersection with William Street, with Riverside Drive's former western section continuing as a one-way road south-westbound, following theSwan River and passing beneath the Narrows Bridge, before ending at the Point Lewis Roundabout onMounts Bay Road,[1] that section now namedBirdiya Drive forBirdiya ('elders','leader' inNoongar).[2]
Riverside Drive which was planned in 1903, but which was not completed until the 1930s due to the need to have reclaimed land on which to build the road.[3]: 81–82 [4]
Construction of the road in the 1930s was seen as a threat to thelightering trade on theSwan River between Perth andFremantle.[5]
In the early 20th century the name of the road carried beyond its current length; proposed river-side roads were mentioned forSouth Perth[6] and the northern shore of the Swan River as far asPeppermint Grove.[7]
Plans to widen were proposed in 1985 and in 1986.[8][9][10]
Significant changes in the landscaping along Riverside Drive were made in 1999.[11]
At times of heavy rains and the Swan River flooding, Riverside Drive has been affected seriously,[12] in the 1930s and 1940s[13][14][15][16][17] as well as more recently.[18]
Riverside Drive was closed for theAustralia Day celebrations andfireworks on 26 January 2014; however unlike other roads in the area, it remained closed between Barrack Street and William Street due to the construction ofElizabeth Quay.[19][20]
Several groups and individuals have previously raised concerns about the impact on the Perth road network resulting from the diversion of Riverside Drive traffic around the new Elizabeth Quay inlet.[21][22][23]The mayors of seven surrounding local government areas issued a joint statement stressing the importance of completing certain roadworks prior to the diversion of Riverside Drive.[24] TheGraham Farmer Freeway has had additional lanes installed in the Northbridge Tunnel to encourage motorists to bypass the city. TheRoyal Automobile Club raised early concerns that loss of the emergency lanes might affect emergency response times.[25] Although a tunnel, either under the inlet or as part of one of the suggested alternative schemes, has previously been dismissed, the suggestion that a tunnel might be built at some time in the future has not been totally dismissed.[26] In January 2014 the Opposition again raised concerns that the closure would lead to further congestion, but theMetropolitan Redevelopment Authority were confident that drivers would adapt to the change.[27] In preparation for the closure, Riverside Drive had been reduced by one lane through that section.[27]
On 4 November 2021, the western section of Riverside Drive was formally renamedBirdiya Drive to prevent confusion around which section of Riverside Drive to follow.Birdiya means'elder','leader' in theNoongar language and was chosen following consultation with theCity of Perth Aboriginal Elders Advisory Group.[2]
| LGA | Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perth | Perth | 0.0 | 0.0 | Barrack Street (State Route 5) north -Mount Lawley,Fremantle /Barrack Square exits. | No turns permitted from Riverside Drive/Barrack Street to Barrack Square. Northwestern terminus, continues north asBarrack Street (State Route 5) |
| 0.25 | 0.16 | Governors Avenue | LILO junction | ||
| 0.55 | 0.34 | Victoria Avenue | |||
| East Perth | 1.5 | 0.93 | Plain Street (State Route 65) -Mount Lawley,Maylands,Guildford | ||
| 2.1 | 1.3 | The Causeway (State Route 5) southeast /Adelaide Terrace northwest -Perth central business district,Fremantle,Victoria Park Hay Street northeast –WACA Ground. | Southeastern terminus at traffic light controlled teardrop roundabout; continues asHay Street. Traffic exiting Hay Street can only enter The Causeway southbound, Riverside Drive can only be accessed from The Causeway northbound. | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
| LGA | Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perth | Perth | 0.0 | 0.0 | William Street (State Route 5) -Northbridge,Mount Lawley | Northern terminus at sharp bend. |
| 0.3 | 0.19 | Kwinana Freeway (State Route 5)/Elizabeth Quay bus station busway -Rockingham,Mandurah | Southbound entry ramp only. No access from Birdiya Drive eastbound. | ||
| 0.7 | 0.43 | Kwinana Freeway (State Route 5) -Rockingham,Mandurah | Southbound entry ramp only. No direct access from Birdiya Drive westbound. | ||
| 1.0 | 0.62 | Mounts Bay Road (State Route 5 westbound) -Crawley,Claremont,Fremantle | Point Lewis Rotary. Western terminus at roundabout with peak traffic lights on Mounts Bay Road eastbound. Access to the Kwinana freeway southbound entry ramp. | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
| National Highways | |
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| National Routes | |
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| Tourist Drives | |
