Road Photos & Information: Australian Capital Territory
A23   Federal Highway, Northbourne Avenue, Vernon Circle, Commonwealth Avenue, State Circle, Canberra Avenue, Hume Place & Monaro Highway (A23)

Statistics:

Route Numbering:

General Information:

A23 is an urban arterial route through Canberra. It was once the main route through the city, but now superseded by the Majura Parkway / Monaro Highway (M23) corridor.

The route consists of several roads that featured on the original city design by Walter Burley Griffin, who won a design contest during the early 20th century to design Australia's national capital.

A23 is made up entirely of dual carriageway road between 4 and 6 lanes wide, and passes through residential and commercial zones, as well as the Parlimentary Triangle, which includes Lake Burley Griffin, Parliament House and several government institutions.

The route from Fyshwick to Gilmore is divided motorway and arterial road standard, with at least 2 lanes in each direction and all junctions between Majura and Symonston grade separated. From Gilmore to Williamsdale, the route in undivided rural highway standard with occasional overtaking lanes.

Traffic types vary considerably along the route. Because of the proximity to the industrial areas of Fyshwick, Hume and to a lesser extent, Symonston, there is quite a lot of heavy vehicles using the route. Other traffic includes commuters travelling to and from Civic and South Canberra to Tuggeranong and during Winter, ski traffic making its way to and from the NSW snowfields, south of Cooma.

Between the spans on the southern side of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge over Lake Burley Griffin, there's two granite stones from the 1817 Waterloo Bridge across the River Thames in London. These were presented to Australia after the 1817 Waterloo Bridge was demolished in the 1940s and replaced by a modern structure. A plaque reads, in part, "Stones such as these from the bridge were presented to Australia and other parts of the British world to further historic links in the British Commonwealth of Nations".

History:

Federal Highway:

Northbourne Avenue:

Vernon Circle:

Commonwealth Avenue:

State Circle:

Capital Circle:

Canberra Avenue:

Hume Place (Hume Circle):

Monaro Highway (Cooma Road):

 

Ginns Gap to Williamsdale   Williamsdale to Ginns Gap
Preview: Description:   Preview: Description:
Advance Directional Sign:
ACT designed AD sign at Ginns Gap on the NSW side of the border approaching the interchange for Majura Pkwy (M23) and Horse Park Drive, February 2016.

Image © Paul Rands

  Isabella Drive:
ID sign at the roundabout of Monaro Hwy (A23) and Isabella Dr at Gilmore, April 2020.

Image © Paul Rands

Reassurance Directional Sign:
Distance sign on Federal Hwy (A23) at Watson, August 2016.

Image © Paul Rands

     
Reassurance Directional Sign:
Distance sign on Canberra Av (A23) at Barton, November 2016.

Image © Paul Rands

     
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign on Monaro Hwy (A23) at Hume approaching the roundabout with Isabella Dr, November 2014. This was the first alphanumeric sign installed in the ACT. B23 is a remnant from initial alphanumeric signposting and at August 2020 still remained in situ.

Image © Todd Milton

     
Isabella Drive:
ID sign at the roundabout of Monaro Hwy (A23) and Isabella Dr at Gilmore, April 2020.

Image © Paul Rands

     
Click here for the continuation of Monaro Highway as M23
Click here for the continuation of B23 in New South Wales

1 Canberra Times, Page 1, 28 September 1928
2
Canberra Times, Page 1, 5 April 1929
3
Canberra Times, Page 1, 19 June 1929
4 Canberra Times, Page 4, 13 February 1930
5
Canberra Times, Page 4, 19 May 1961
6
Canberra Times, Page 27, 22 September 1961
7 Canberra Times, Page 6, 16 February 1962
8
Canberra Times, Page 9, 4 December 1965
9
Canberra Times, Page 25, 18 May 1966
10
Canberra Times, Page 11, 2 May 1973
11
Ozroads (Sam Laybutt), National Highway 23 - Federal Highway
12 Canberra Times, Page 3, 3 November 1994
13
ACT Planning & Land Authority, Variation to the Territory Plan, No 67, August 1998
14
Canberra - Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow, John Overall, p. 12, ISBN 0-9593910-6-1
15 ACT Planning & Land Authority, Place Name Search, Northbourne Avenue
16 Canberra Times, Page 4, 2 October 1937
17 Canberra Times, Page 4, 18 April 1946
18 Canberra Times, Page 2, 15 October 1951
19 Canberra Times, Page 14, 17 May 1957
20 Canberra Times, Page 3, 20 October 1959
21 Canberra Times, Page 2, 5 April 1960
22 Canberra Times, Page 10, 9 August 1962
23 Canberra Times, Page 3, 30 June 1964
24 Canberra Times, Page 9, 24 August 1965
25 Canberra Times, Page 1, 23 October 1965
26 Canberra Times, Page 4, 27 October 1965
27 Canberra Times, Page 8, 8 April 1966
28 Canberra Times, Page 3, 27 August 1966
29 Canberra Times, Page 3, 12 November 1966
30 Canberra Times, Page 8, 9 December 1968
31 Canberra Times, Page 7, 5 May 1969
32 Canberra Times, Page 9, 11 July 1969
33 Canberra Times, Page 7, 28 March 1970
34 Canberra Times, Page 7, 22 July 1974
35 Canberra Times, Page 7, 22 July 1974
36 ACT Planning & Land Authority, Place Name Search, Vernon Circle
37 Canberra Times, Page 2, 5 April 1960
38 Canberra Times, Page 7, 5 May 1969
39 Canberra Times, Page 15, 30 September 1960
40 ACT Heritage Library, ImagesACT, Second Commonwealth Avenue Bridge
41 Canberra’s Engineering Heritage, 2nd edition, 1990
42 Northern Star, Page 7, 6 August 1923
43 Canberra Times, Page 1, 25 March 1929
44 Canberra Times, Page 4, 31 October 1929
45 Canberra Times, Page 2, 4 June 1945
46 Canberra Times, Page 3, 25 September 1945
47 Canberra Times, Page 3, 2 April 1946
48 Canberra Times, Page 4, 1 April 1947
49 Canberra Times, Page 5, 3 July 1958
50 Canberra Times, Page 3, 3 March 1960
51 Canberra Times, Page 9, 5 May 1961
52 Canberra Times, Page 3, 14 November 1961
53 Canberra Times, Page 6, 16 February 1962
54 Canberra Times, Page 1, 29 March 1962
55 Canberra Times, Page 31, 7 March 1963
56 Canberra Times, Page 3, 7 May 1963
57 Canberra Times, Page 1, 10 September 1963
58 Canberra Times, Page 1, 31 October 1963
59 ACT Heritage Library, ImagesACT, Commonwealth Avenue bridge, with Scotts Crossing in the foreground, the Albert Hall at left and the Canadian flagpole at Regatta Point at right
60 Canberra Times, Page 8, 19 January 1965
61 Canberra Times, Page 3, 21 June 1965
62 Canberra Times, Page 3, 2 October 1965
63 Canberra Times, Page 8, 5 June 1969
64 Canberra Times, Page 3, 27 June 1969
65 Canberra Times,
66 ACT Planning & Land Authority, Place Name Search, Commonwealth Avenue
67 Canberra Times, Page 10, 30 April 1984
68 ACT Planning & Land Authority, Place Name Search, State Circle
69 Canberra Times, Page 10, 18 October 1958
70 Canberra Times, Page 2, 14 February 1959
71 Canberra Times, Page 3, 3 March 1960
72 Canberra Times, Page 19, 22 October 1968
73 Canberra Times, Page 8, 9 April 1969
74 Canberra Times, Page 1, 28 May 1969
75 Canberra Times, Page 1, 25 November 1969
76 Canberra Times, Page 3, 24 February 1970
77 Canberra Times, Page 1, 7 September 1970
78 Canberra Times, Page 6, 7 January 1983
79 Canberra Times, Page 8, 18 April 1983
80 Canberra Times, Page 11, 17 September 1983
81 Canberra Times, Page 10, 2 March 1987
82 Canberra Times, Page 7, 29 September 1987
83 Canberra Times, Page 8, 3 August 1971
84 Canberra Times, Page 8, 15 December 1971
85 Canberra Times, Page 3, 8 March 1974
86 ACT Planning & Land Authority, Place Name Search, Capital Circle
87 Canberra Times, Page 8, 18 April 1983
88 Canberra Times, Page 9, 25 October 1984
89 Canberra Times, Page 9, 25 October 1984
90 Canberra Times, Page 14, 12 October 1986
91 Canberra Times, Page 1, 12 December 1986
92 ACT Planning & Land Authority, Place Name Search, Canberra Avenue
93 Capital Hill Apartments, History
94 Canberra Times, Page 2, 28 February 1952
95 Canberra Times, Page 4, 16 May 1953
96 Canberra Times, Page 6, 16 February 1962
97 Canberra Times, Page 8, 10 June 1965
98 Canberra Times, Page 1, 6 December 1965
99 Canberra Times, Page 10, 21 December 1965
100 Canberra Times, Page 10, 20 September 1968
101 Canberra Times, Page 1, 30 January 1976
102 Canberra Times, Page 3, 30 July 1976
103 Canberra Times, Page 7, 6 May 1977
104 Canberra Times, Page 3, 15 August 1979
105 Canberra Times, Page 6, 16 April 1982
106 Canberra Times, Page 9, 6 February 1988
107 Canberra Times, Page 5, 22 November 1989
108 ACT Planning & Land Authority, Place Name Search, Hume Place
109 Canberra Times, Page 6, 12 March 1960
110 Canberra Times, Page 8, 20 December 1960
111 Canberra Times, Page 3, 21 October 1958
112 Canberra Times, Page 12, 21 February 1964
113 Canberra Times, Page 3, 25 August 1967
114 Canberra Times, Page 1, 23 February 1972
115 Canberra Times, Page 3, 23 December 1982
116 Canberra Times, Page 3, 16 February 1983
117 Canberra Times, Page 8, 7 June 1985
118 Canberra Times, Page 9, 6 February 1988
119 Canberra Times, Page 5, 22 November 1989
120 ACT Planning & Land Authority, Place Name Search, Monaro Highway
121 BMD Constructions, Monaro Highway Duplication
122 ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services, Guide Signs, Municipal Infrastructure Standards 12, April 2019

Last updated: 12-Aug-2020 22:58

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