The rollout of the $1 billion Gateway WA project has officially begun, with work beginning on the new on-ramp which will give trucks travelling from the Kewdale/Forrestfield industrial estate access to the Tonkin Highway for the first time.

Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese was joined by him Western Australian counterpart, Troy Buswell, to turn the first sod of the Abernethy Road-Tonkin Highway on-ramp project.

Gateway WA is being jointly funded by the Federal ($686 million) and Western Australian Governments, with the entire project expected to be completed in 2017.

Mr Buswell Abernethy Road project by itself will make a big difference but it is only the first step towards easing congestion around Perth Airport and the surrounding industrial areas.

The project will remove some of the conflict between freight and airport passenger traffic, for example at the intersection of Horrie Miller Drive, the Tonkin Highway and the Kewdale Road intersection.

“The Gateway WA project will improve access to Perth Airport and surrounding areas, catering for future growth in these facilities and actively supporting the Western Australian economy.”