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| 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) - Nabiac to Bulahdelah |
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General Information:
M1 / A1 is the principal coastal route through New South Wales, and forms part of the circumferential route around Australia.
The route varies greatly along its length and includes sections of rural highway, urban arterial road, divided rural highway and also motorway. The route also features several tunnels, located in the inner east, inner south and lower northern suburbs of Sydney and at Yelgun and Tweed Heads, at the northern end of the route in NSW. The route passes through forest, rural, residential, commercial and industrial areas.
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:
- 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.
- August 1997: Works starts on Pacific Highway upgrade between Wang Wauk and Bundacree Creek. 3
- 10 December 1998: Wang Wauk to Bundacree Creek, 4.8 km in length, opened to traffic. 3
- October 1999: Bulahdelah to Coolongolook, 23 km in length, opened to traffic.
- July 2001: Coolongolook to Wang Wauk, 11.7 km in length, opened to traffic.
- 6 July 2005: Lakes Way Interchange opened to traffic. 4
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Wang Wauk River: Pacific Hwy (A1) as it crosses Wang Wauk River at Wang Wauk, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
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Wang Wauk Gap: Pacific Hwy (A1) as it passes through Wang Wauk Gap at Coolongolook, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
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Entering Coolongolook : Pacific Hwy (A1) as it enters the town of Coolongolook, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
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Coolongolook: Pacific Hwy (A1) as it passes through the town of Coolongolook, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
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Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Coolongolook approaching Kennedys Gap Rd, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
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Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Coolongolook approaching Wootton Rd, October 2016. Wootton Rd is the old Pacific Hwy alignment through O'Sullivans Gap. Image © Paul Rands |
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Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign at Coolongolook, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
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Herivels Road & Coolongolook River: Pacific Hwy (A1) as it crosses Herivels Rd and Coolongolook River at Coolongolook, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
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Ferny Creek Road: Pacific Hwy (A1) as it passes under Ferny Creek Rd at Wootton, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
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Watley Hill Road: Pacific Hwy (A1) as it passes under Watley Hill Rd at Wootton, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
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Coolongolook River: Pacific Hwy (A1) as it crosses Coolongolook River at Wootton, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
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Squires Hill Road: Pacific Hw (A1) as it passes under Squires Hill Rd at Boolambayte, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
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Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Supplemental AD sign at Boolambayte for Buladelah Way, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
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Bypassed Town Sign: Bypassed town sign at Boolambayte for Buladelah Way, October 2016. Image © Paul Rands |
| Click here for the continuation of A1 between Bulahdelah and Karuah Click here for the continuation of A1 between Johns River and Nabiac |
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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, Wang Wauk to Bundacree Creek.
4 Roads & Maritime Services, Projects, Pacific Highway upgrade, Hexham to Port Macquarie, Completed projects, Coopernook Bypass.
Last updated: 09-May-2019 13:25
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