Reconnecting the city

Connections are at the heart of Perth’s transformation.

Connecting the city with the river; connecting people with the city again through the laneway revitalisation and new retail, cultural and entertainment options; and connecting the CBD with Northbridge for the first time in a century through the Perth City Link.

The Perth City Link will connect people and places at five distinct locations - at William Street, Queen Street/Nick’s Lane, King/Lake Streets, Shafto Lane and Milligan Street.

In the June edition of Connect, the dedicated Perth City Link newsletter, we show you Milligan Street as you’ve never experienced it before.

Traditionally, Milligan Street hasn’t been regarded as a particularly attractive part of town; where pedestrians and cyclists share a simple footbridge across the rail line between Wellington and Roe Streets.
Enter the new Milligan Street.

Imagine an inviting landscaped public space with shady trees, grassed areas, WA granite paving, raised planters, public seating and lighting. The space will incorporate public artworks by acclaimed WA visual artist Jon Tarry, and will convey a distinctly Australian theme in the choice of materials and tree planting.

The connection will be lined with offices, bars, studios and cafés, with pedestrians able to move between the CBD and Northbridge via a new “land bridge”, which will take pedestrians over the railway lines at Milligan Street.

The land bridge will have a series of terraced rises to make for an easy and pleasant way for pedestrians to move between the city and Northbridge, or just enjoy the view, have a snack and watch the world go by.

A new road extension will provide buses with access to the planned underground Wellington Street Bus Station and provide cars with access to underground car parking at the Perth Arena.

The road works and the new landscaped precinct, being undertaken by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority, are due to be completed later this year.

In late June, the southern portion of the Milligan Street footbridge will be removed and a new temporary ramp connected to take users down to ground level. The footbridge will close for two days, during which time pedestrians and cyclists can still move between Roe and Wellington Streets via the Horseshoe Bridge. Cyclists and pedestrians will share the temporary ramp until the new land bridge is built.

These important works will allow for bus services to be maintained during the Perth City Link rail works.