Canning Highway

Infobox Australian Road
road_name = Canning Highway
route_

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route_

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route_

photo = Canning Bridge 2006 SMC.jpg
caption = Canning Bridge
length = 17
direction = Northeast-Southwest
start =
finish = Queen Victoria Street, Fremantle, Perth
est = 1920s
through = South Perth, Como, Applecross, Melville, East Fremantle
route = "Victoria Park - Kwinana Freeway"
exits = Kwinana Freeway, Stock Road, Stirling Highway

Canning Highway is a mostly 4 lane single carriageway major arterial road in Perth, Western Australia. The speed limit is 60 km/h. It is located south of the Swan River and links Perth with Fremantle, running between The Causeway in Victoria Park and Queen Victoria Street in Fremantle.

History

Canning Highway is named for Alfred Canning, a pioneer West Australian pastoralist and late 19th century settler in the area that is now part of the City of Melville.

The modern highway was formally commenced in the 1920s, with major work commencing in 1927 to upgrade an convert|8|mi|km|sing=on section between Suburban Street, South Perth and Petra Street, East Fremantle. In 1938, the present northern bridge over Canning River was opened. It was convert|32|ft|m wide and constructed of timber, as was then common practice. The experience gained building this bridge was used to construct the Fremantle Traffic Bridge over the Swan River one year later. The Fremantle Traffic Bridge joined Canning Highway near Fremantle with North Fremantle, and this intersection forms the highway's present western terminus.

In 1958, the present southern bridge over Canning River was constructed which coincided with the opening of Kwinana Freeway between the Narrows Bridge and Canning Highway.

In 1974, the rotary (roundabout) at the southern end of the Causeway in Victoria Park was upgraded to a parclo interchange, which resulted in Canning Highway joining seamlessly with Great Eastern Highway. At the same time, Stirling Highway was extended from North Fremantle across the Swan River via the new Stirling bridge to join with Canning Highway.

In 1979, a new grade separated interchange was built near Canning Bridge at Kwinana Freeway to route the freeway underneath Canning Highway and progress the freeway further southwards.

Apart from minor additional lanes and modifications, the highway is largely unchanged since.

Raffles Hotel

One of the most enduring sights on Canning Highway has been the Raffles Hotel at night-time, with its ornamental lighting and an iconic animated rooftop neon beer sign (for many years advertising Swan Lager). It is situated in Applecross adjacent to Canning Bridge. The hotel has reopened with a pub and a bottle shop called Raffles Liquor Merchants. The Raffles now has two beer advertising neon lights, one for Victoria bitter and one large one advertising Crown lager.

Public transport

Canning Highway crosses the Kwinana Freeway at the Canning Bridge station on the Mandurah railway line. Buses also stop at this station and enter and exit the freeway via bus lanes.

In popular culture

Because the Raffles Hotel on Canning Highway is at the bottom of a very steep hill, the intersection there has seen so many road crashes the road became known as 'the Highway to Hell'. The nickname was the inspiration for the AC/DC song "Highway to Hell", based on then lead singer Bon Scott's times going down to the Raffles Hotel for a drink, and for good times with his mates - and to get there he'd travel Canning Highway, the Highway To Hell.Fact|date=July 2008

ee also

*Highways in Australia
*List of highways in Western Australia
*List of major roads in Perth, Western Australia

References

*cite book | first=Leigh | last=Edmonds | title=The vital link: a history of Main Roads Western Australia 1926-1996 | publisher=University of Western Australia Press | location=Nedlands, Western Australia | year=1997 | id=ISBN 1-875560-87-4
*cite book | first= | last= | title=StreetSmart Perth 2003 Street Directory | publisher=Department of Land Administration and West Australian Newspapers Ltd | location=Midland, Western Australia | year=2002 | id=ISBN 0-909699-87-9

External links

* [http://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au Main Roads Western Australia]