From the 1980s Main Roads began planning for the future needs of Albany Highway within the City of Canning in Perth, in conjunction with the City and the Metropolitan Region Planning Authority. A section between Leach Highway and Nicholson Road was subsequently upgraded between November 1992 and June 1994. The four-lane undivided road had been one of the most congested in Perth but was improved by adding a third lane in each direction as well as a median strip. The project was recognised with an Excellence Award from the Institution of Engineers Australia in 1994.