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Statistics:

• Length: 513 km (Berrima to Goulburn: 60 km)
• Northern Terminus: Westlink (M7) and South Western Mwy (M5) at Prestons
• Southern Terminus: NSW-Vic border at Albury
• Miscellaneous: Continues as Hume Freeway (M31) at the Victorian border and travels for 303 km to the Metropolitan Ring Road (M80).
• Suburbs, Towns & Localities along route: Sutton Forest, Marulan and Goulburn

Route Numbering:

• Current: M31

• Former:
• Road Authority Internal Classification: HW2 1

General Information:

The Hume Highway is one of Australia's most vital highway links. Providing access between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's 2 largest cities. The National Highway section of the Hume Highway consists of entirely 100% dual carriageway road, either rural expressway or motorway standard.

In NSW, the highway in one form or another started life as the Great South Road, linking Sydney with the southern highlands and eventually beyond. The highway was named in 1928 after Hamilton Hume (1797-1873), a famous explorer in the early 19th century who, in 1824, in conjunction with William Hovell first found an overland route between Sydney and the infant colonial outpost of Port Phillip, the original name of Melbourne.

NH31 is the main freight and commuter route between Sydney and Melbourne and has gone through a massive amount of transformation over the past 30 or so years, with many towns being bypassed along its route as well and gradual upgrades to motorway standards. Since the 1960s, the road has either been duplicated, where alignments allow for it, and also large deviations have also been part of the upgrade process.

The route around the Mittagong area averages around 16,000 vehicles every day, in other sections the number drops off a little or closer to Sydney increases.2

The route forms the Remembrance Driveway which honours war veterans, click here for the Remembrance Driveway web site.

Here are some interesting statistics on the Hume Highway: 1

• The Mittagong Bypass is 15 km long.
• The Goulburn Bypass is 13 km of concrete dual carriageway.
• The Cullerin Range Deviation consists of 34 km of dual carriageway.
• 17 km of dual carriageways between the Cullerin Range Deviation and the Yass Bypass.
• The Yass Bypass, has 15 bridges and 18 km of dual carriageways.
• The Jugiong Bypass, features 13 km of dual carriageways.

History:

• 1914: Sydney-Melbourne road (Great South Road) is declared a main road
• 1928: Sections of Great South Road renamed to Hume Highway
• 1931: Lorry checking station built at Marulan. 2
• 1939: 95% (557 km) of the Hume Highway paved with a bitumous surface. 2
• 1950s: In 1952, a group of citizens met and formed a committee under Lt-General Sir Frank Berryman to create a national memorial to servicemen by using trees and shrubs as living memorials. The NSW Premier, J J Cahill, officially launched the scheme on 9 December 1953. The Remembrance Driveway project as it was called started on 5 February 1954, when trees were planted at either end of the Driveway at the War Memorial, Canberra, and in Macquarie Place, Sydney, by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. By June 1959, 10,000 trees had been planted. Since then, planting of trees in avenues or groves has continued. When the M5 Motorway replaced the Hume Highway (and also Camden Valley Way) south of Liverpool, it became the focus for planting trees and shrubs in remembrance. 1
• 1958 Truck weigh station built further out of Marulan along the highway, replacing the one built in 1931. 2
• 1970: Dual carriageway and new bridges built, bypassing the old bridge from 1930s at Boxers Creek, north of Goulburn 1
• 1986: Marulan Bypass opens, with new truck weigh stations (those were built in 1985) 3
• 1992: Goulburn Bypass opened.
• 2013: National Highway 31 replaced by M31.

Goulburn to Berrima			Berrima To Goulburn
Preview:	Description:		Preview:	Description:
	Bypassed Town Sign: Bypassed town sign approaching Hume St interchange, Goulburn, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign at Sutton Forest, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Boxers Ck appoaching Sydney Rd (former Hume Hwy), November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Golden Vale Rd in Sutton Forest, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Boxers Ck appoaching Sydney Rd, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Golden Vale Road: Hume Mwy (M31) at the Golden Vale Rd junction in Sutton Forest, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign at Towrang, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Services Sign: Services sign at Sutton Forest approaching Mackey VC Rest Area, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Services Sign: Services distance sign at Towrang, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Illawarra Hwy (A48) at Sutton Forest, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Marulan approaching the Marulan Sth Rd interchange, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Illawarra Hwy (A48) at Sutton Forest, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Marulan South Road: Hume Hwy (M31) as it passes under Marulan Sth Rd at Marulan, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Services Sign: Services sign at Sutton Forest approaching Mackey VC Rest Area, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Marulan approaching George St, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Services Sign: Services sign at Sutton Forest for Sallys Corner Road interchange, which connects with the Sutton Forest service centre, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Intersection Directional Sign: M31 ID sign assembly on George St, facing the truck stop in Marulan, August 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Mackey VC Rest Area: Hume Mwy (M31) at Sutton Forest at the entrance to Mackey VC Rest Area, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	George Street & Hume Highway: Corner of the George St access point and Hume Hwy (M31) at Marulan, August 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Illawarra Highway Interchange: Hume Hwy (M31) at the Illawarra Hwy (A48) interchange, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: M31 AD sign on George St, Marulan, approaching Brayton Rd and the Hume Hwy (M31) interchange, August 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Illawarra Highway Interchange: Hume Hwy (M31) at the Illawarra Hwy (A48) interchange, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign on the corner of Hume Hwy (M31) interchange, George St and Brayton Rd at Marulan, August 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign at Sutton Forest, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Hume Highway Interchange: Hume Hwy (M31) interchange at the northern end of Marulan town centre, August 2013. Note the black sign, which dates back to the interchange opening. Image © Paul Rands			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Sallys Corner Rd at Sutton Forest, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign at Marulan, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Sallys Corner Road Interchange & Service Centre: Hume Hwy (M31) at the Salls Corner Rd interchange and Sutton Forest Service Centre, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Sutton Forest approaching Sallys Corner Rd, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Marulan approaching George St, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Direcitonal Sign: AD sign at Sutton Forest approaching Illawarra Hwy (A48), November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign for the Heavy Vehicle Checking Station, Marulan, August 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Direcitonal Sign: AD sign at Sutton Forest approaching Illawarra Hwy (A48), November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign at the George St interchange in Marulan for the Heavy Vehicle Checking Station, August 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Bypassed Town Sign: Bypassed town sign at Sutton Forest approaching Illawarra Hwy (A48), November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Advance Directional Sign: Southbound M31 AD sign on George St Marulan, August 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Illawarra Highway Interchange: Hume Mwy (M31) at the Illawarra Hwy (A48) interchange in Sutton Forest, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign on the southbound ramp from George St onto Hume Hwy (M31) at Marulan, August 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign on the off ramp to Illawarra Hwy (A48) and Canyonleigh Rd at Sutton Forest, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Distance Sign: Reassurance directional sign at Marulan, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: RD sign at Sutton Forest after Illawarra Hwy (A48) interchange, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Marulan approaching Marulan South Rd, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Sutton Forest approaching Old Hume Hwy, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Supplemental AD sign at Marulan approaching Marulan South Rd, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Sutton Forest approaching Old Hume Hwy, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Marulan South Road Interchange: Hume Hwy (M31) at the Marulan South Road interchange in Marulan, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
	Bypassed Town Sign: Bypassed Town sign at Sutton Forest approaching Old Hume Hwy, November 2013. Image © Paul Rands			Marulan South Road Interchange: Hume Hwy (M31) at the Marulan South Road interchange in Marulan, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
				Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign at Towrang, August 2013. Image © Paul Rands
				Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Towrang approaching Sydney Rd, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
				Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Towrang approaching Sydney Rd, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
				Bypassed Town Sign: AD sign at Goulburn approaching Sydney Rd, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
				Bypassed Town Sign: AD sign at Goulburn approaching Hume St, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
				Bypassed Town Sign: AD sign at Goulburn approaching Hume St, September 2013. Image © Paul Rands
Click here for the continuation of M31 between Goulburn and Yass Click here for the continuation of M31 between Wilton to Berrima

1 Roads and Maritime Services
2 Department of Main Roads. The Roadmakers, A History of Main Roads in New South Wales, ISBN 0 7240 0439 4
3 Argyle County web site

Last updated: 24-Feb-2017 13:57

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