Road Photos & Information: New South Wales: Pacific Motorway, Pacific Highway, New England Highway, John Renshaw Drive, Gore Hill Freeway, Warringah Freeway, Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Cahill Expressway, Eastern Distributor, Southern Cross Drive, General Holmes Drive, The Grand Parade, President Avenue, Princes Highway & Princes Motorway (M1 / A1)

Road Photos & Information: New South Wales

M1 A1

Pacific Motorway, Pacific Highway, New England Highway, John Renshaw Drive, Gore Hill Freeway, Warringah Freeway, Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Cahill Expressway, Eastern Distributor, Southern Cross Drive, General Holmes Drive, The Grand Parade, President Avenue, Princes Highway & Princes Motorway (M1 / A1) - Johns River to Nabiac

Statistics:

Length: 1354 km (Johns River to Nabiac: 57 km)
Northern Terminus: Queensland Border at Tweed Heads, continues as Pacific Motorway (M1)
Southern Terminus: Victorian Border at Timbillica, continues as Princes Highway (A1)
Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route: Johns River, Moorland, Coopernook, Jones Island, Croki, Ghinni Ghinni, Cundletown, (Taree), Dumaresq Island, Pampoolah, Purfleet, Rainbow Flat, Possum Brush, Failford and Nabiac

Route Numbering:

Current: A1

Former:
Road Authority Internal Classification: HW10 (Artarmon to Wahroonga and Hexham to Brunswick Heads) 1

General Information:

Pacific Highway:

The Pacific Highway section of A1 runs between Brunswick Heads and Hexham, and also between Wahroonga and the Gore Hill Freeway at Artarmon. The northern section between Brunswick Heads and Hexham is a mix of dual carriageway, rural highway and urban arterial roadway. The southern section between Wahroonga and Artarmon is urban arterial standard and passes through one of Sydney's more affluent areas.

The highway traces its origins back to an early settler, George Peat, who owned the land between the Hawkesbury River and Mooney Mooney Creek. To provide access to his property, Peat began a ferry service across the Hawkesbury River in 1844 and surveyed, then constructed a road between Hornsby and Kariong in 1854. After his death in 1870, the ferry service was abandoned and the road fell into disrepair, finally closing to all traffic in 1899, following the completion of the Sydney-Newcastle railway.

Demand for a route between Sydney and Newcastle dates back to the early 20th century. When the only access was via the sea or via a long route through the town of Wiseman's Ferry. In the 1920s, the then Main Roads Board undertook a series of surveys to form an easier and more reliable route north from Sydney. In 1928 construction began on upgrading the old road and converting it to a modern standard, plus creating a new route north, utilising some of the abandoned Peat's Ferry Rd, while improving the horizontal and vertical alignments. In May 1930 the ferry service across the Hawkesbury River was re-established to service the new road until such times that a bridge became necessary. June 1930 marked the completion of the concrete surfacing.

During the time of the Hornsby to Gosford contruction, improvements were made to roads between Gosford to Newcastle as part of the link. On May 17 in 1929, the route was named as the Great Northern Highway. The work from Hornsby to Gosford cost almost £1 million, however it was money well spent, reducing the trip from Sydney to Newcastle from 9 hours to 4 ½ hours.

History:

Pacific Highway:

17 May 1929: The route was named as the Great Northern Highway.

May 1931: After pressure from the Queensland Government, the coastal highway linking Sydney and Brisbane was named Pacific Hwy.

1939: Two thirds of the Pacific Highway was bitumen. 2

January 1996: The NSW State Government and the Federal Government agreed to jointly fund the $2.2 billion Pacific Highway Upgrading Program over a period of 10 years. The NSW State Government was to provide $1.6 billion and the Federal Government $600 million.

December 1997: Taree Bypass, 14.5 km in length, partially opened to traffic.

1998: The 7.5 kilometre dual carriageway upgrade of the Pacific Highway between Taree and Coopernook was opened to traffic. 3

6 July 2005: Lakes Way Interchange opened to traffic. 4

August 2005: Taree to Coopernook, 7.5 km in length, opened to traffic.

22 March 2006: Coopernook Bypass, 3.8 km in length, opened to traffic. 5

4 November 2006: Bundacree Creek to Possum Brush, 9.7 km in length, opened to traffic.

Town to Town		Town to Town
Preview:	Description:	Preview:	Description:
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign on Manning River Rd (former Pacific Hwy) at Glenthorne approaching Pacific Hwy (A1) and Old Bar Rd interchange, December 2013. Image © Michael Greenslade		Jericho Road: Pacific Hwy (A1) at the Jericho Rd interchange at Moorland, December 2013. Image © Michael Greenslade
			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Harrington Rd & Coopernook Rd at Coopernook, December 2013. Image © Michael Greenslade
			Supplemental Advance Directional sign: Supplemental AD sign at Cundletown approaching Princes St interchange, December 2013. Image © Michael Greenslade
			Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign at Glenthorne, December 2013. Image © Michael Greenslade
			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Rainbow Flat approaching The Lakes Way (TD9) interchange, December 2013. Image © Michael Greenslade
			Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign at the junction with Fairford Rd at Fairford, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands
			Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign at Fairford, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands
			Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Supplemental AD sign at Nabiac for Nabiac St, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands
			Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Supplemental AD sign at Nabiac for Nabiac St, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands
			Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Supplemental AD sign at Nabiac for Nabiac St, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands
			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Nabiac for Nabiac St, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands
			Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Supplemental AD sign at Nabiac for Nabiac St, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands
			Nabiac Street: Pacific Hwy (A1) at the Nabiac St interchange at Nabiac, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands
			Nabiac Street: Pacific Hwy (A1) at the Nabiac St interchange at Nabiac, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands
			Clarkson Street: Pacific Hwy (A1) as it passes under Clarkson St at Nabiac, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands
			Wallamba River: Pacific Hwy (A1) as it crosses Wallamba River via Leslie "Mick" Weller Bridge at Nabiac, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands
			Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign at Nabiac, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands
Click here for the continuation of A1 between Port Macquarie and Johns River Click here for the continuation of A1 between Nabiac and Bulahdelah

1 Roads & Maritime Services.
2 Department of Main Roads, The Roadmakers, A History of Main Roads in New South Wales, ISBN 0 7240 0439 4.
3 Roads & Maritime Services, Projects, Pacific Highway upgrade, Hexham to Port Macquarie, Completed projects, Taree to Coopernook.
4 Roads & Maritime Services, Projects, Pacific Highway upgrade, Hexham to Port Macquarie, Completed projects, The Lakes Way interchange.
5 Roads & Maritime Services, Projects, Pacific Highway upgrade, Hexham to Port Macquarie, Completed projects, Coopernook Bypass.

Last updated: 22-Dec-2019 11:57

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