Mr Portelli, who is aiming to secure the seat of Cockburn, said he would be running on a pro-Roe 8 campaign.
While supportive of the proposed Armadale Road bridge, he said the $450m Roe 8 project would prove even better by taking away half of the 60,000 vehicles that use Beeliar Drive between the freeway and Wentworth Parade each day.
“I’ve been banging my head against a wall trying to get this information discussed and released to the community,” he said.
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READ NOW“Frustrated, I set up a Pro Roe 8 Facebook page.
“I have been flooded with support. From engineers, truckies to mums and dads – they are starting to know that this is a critical piece of infrastructure.”
Mr Portelli said he had his work cut out if he were to steal support from Fran Logan because Labor’s dominance of the seat dated back to the ’60s.
“I have lived in Atwell and Aubin Grove the past 20 years and I’m continually frustrated with congestion and the lack of supporting infrastructure (built) in a timely manner,” he said.
“Cockburn is due much more than it has received from both sides.
“I will continue to fight for Roe 8 and more, I hope the residents will support me.”