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| direction_a = North | end_a = Kwinana Freeway (State Route 2), Ravenswood | exits = | direction_b = South | end_b = Robertson Drive (National Route 1 / State Route 10), East Bunbury | through = , }} Forrest Highway is a highway in Western Australia's Peel and South West regions, extending Perth's Kwinana Freeway from east of Mandurah down to Bunbury. Old Coast Road was the original Mandurah–Bunbury route, dating back to the 1840s. Part of that road, and the Australind Bypass around Australind and Eaton, were subsumed by Forrest Highway. The highway begins at Kwinana Freeway's southern terminus in Ravenswood, continues around the Peel Inlet to Lake Clifton, and heads south to finish at Bunbury's Eelup Roundabout. There are a number of at-grade intersections with minor roads in the shires of Murray, Waroona, and Harvey including Greenlands Road and Old Bunbury Road, both of which connect to South Western Highway near Pinjarra. The settlement of Australind by the Western Australian Land Company in 1840–41 prompted the first real need for a good quality road to Perth. A coastal Australind–Mandurah route was completed by 2 November 1842. Though the road was rebuilt by convicts in the 1850s, its importance was already declining. With a new road via Pinjarra at the foothills of the Darling Scarp completed in 1876, and the opening of the Perth−Bunbury railway in 1893, few people travelled up the old coastal road. In the late 1930s there was a proposal to re-establish the road as a tourist route, which could also reduce traffic on the main road along the foothills, but it was put on hold due to World War II. Improvements to Old Coast Road started in the early 1950s, but with little progress made until 1954 when the Main Roads Department approved £1000 worth of works. The name "Old Coast Road" was formally adopted on 27 January 1959, and a sealed road was completed in September 1969. Since the 1980s, the state government has been upgrading the main Perth to Bunbury route, by extending Kwinana Freeway south from Perth, and constructing a dual carriageway on Old Coast Road north of Bunbury, including bypasses around Australind and Dawesville. A bypass was also planned around Mandurah, which underwent detailed environmental reviews and assessments in the 1990s and early 2000s. Construction of the New Perth Bunbury Highway project, which became Forrest Highway and the final Kwinana Freeway extension, began in December 2006, and the new highway was opened on 20 September 2009. Within one year of opening, the number of road accidents in the area had decreased significantly, but tourism and businesses in the towns on bypassed routes were also affected. There are few services alongside the highway, although a pair of roadhouses are planned near Greenlands Road. In June 2014, Forrest Highway was extended south to Bunbury by renaming much of Old Coast Road as well as Australind Bypass as part of the highway. == Route description == Forrest Highway is the southern section of State Route 2, continuing south from Kwinana Freeway at a folded diamond interchange with Pinjarra Road. All other intersections with the highway are at-grade, with cross roads intersected via two closely spaced T junctions.〔 The highway, which is controlled and maintained by Main Roads Western Australia,〔 〕 has two lanes in each direction separated by a wide median strip,〔 and a speed limit of .〔 The road travels south for , over the Murray River and through rural farmland in and beyond South Yunderup. The highway then veers south-west, meeting Greenlands Road at a pair of staggered T junctions,〔 and continues towards the Harvey Estuary over a distance of before intersecting Mills Road, at another pair of closely spaced T junctions. The road curves back to the south, reaching Old Bunbury Road after . Forrest Highway meanders across the Spearwood dune system〔 〕 for , through a series of large curves, before it reaches Old Coast Road at , an alternative coastal route to . Forrest Highway continues south for , to the west of Myalup State Forest and east of Lake Preston. A further takes the highway to the northern edge of Leschenault. In these sections, the highway passes turnoffs to Preston Beach, Myalup and Binningup.〔 The countryside for this part is mostly tuart, jarrah and marri forest, with some wetland vegetation and some cleared farming land. The highway then heads south-east, going inland to bypass the developed areas east of the Leschenault Inlet. After Forrest Highway crosses the Brunswick River, continues southwards towards the Collie River for another . It crosses the river, then curves around Eaton to head westward to the Eelup Roundabout, which it reaches after travelling for and crossing the adjacent Preston River. The signalised roundabout provides access into Bunbury, as well as to Robertson Road, a ring road that connects to South Western Highway and Bussell Highway.〔 When the highway was first opened in 2009, the average daily weekday traffic volume north of Old Bunbury Road was 9,680. By April 2011, it had increased to 10,660 vehicles.〔 〕 In 2012 up to 14,000 vehicles per day used the highway,〔 〕 and 17,000 by 2014.〔 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Forrest Highway」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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