Roe Highway was first proposed in 1955 and subsequently included in the Metropolitan Region Scheme in 1963 as a six lane freeway route between Midland and the Port of Fremantle. 

Named in honour of John Septimus Roe, first Surveyor General of Western Australia, the route was planned as an ‘outer ring road’ around the central areas of Perth. Its purpose was to connect the major industrial and commercial activity centres of the Perth outer metropolitan area with Fremantle and Kwinana.

Work on the highway began in 1981 and has progressed in stages to the most recent extension – Roe 7, completed in 2006.

The strategic rationale for the route has been the subject of numerous studies over the last decade.