East Market Street, Lennox Street, Blacktown Road, Richmond Road, Rooty Hill Road North, Woodstock Avenue, Phillip Parkway, Eastern Road, Rooty Hill Road South, Wallgrove Road & Elizabeth Drive (State Route 61) (Decommissioned)

Statistics:

• Length: 45 km
• Northern Terminus: Castlreagh Rd (SR73) at Richmond
• Southern Terminus: Hume Hwy (Metroad 7) at Liverpool
• Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route: Richmond, Londonderry, Berkshire Park, Marsden Park, Colebee, Oakhurst, Plumpton, Rooty Hill, Eastern Creek, Horsley Park, Cecil Park, Bonnyrigg Heights, Bonnyrigg, Mount Pritchard and Liverpool

Route Numbering:

• Former:
• Multiplexes:
• Decommissioned: December 2005 1
• Road Authority Internal Classification: Main Road No. 515 (Woodstock Ave, Philip Pkwy, Eastern Rd & Wallgrove Rd), Main Road No. 535 (Elizabeth Dr) and Main Road No. 537 (Richmond-Rooty Hill) 2

General Information:

State Route 61 was a cross-city route linking the semi-rural northwestern suburbs of Sydney with the urban centre of Liverpool. The route also connected a number of significant suburbs including Mt Druitt and Blacktown.

The route was a mix of urban arterial road (divided and undivided) and rural standard road and has since been supplanted by Westlink M7 for a significant part of its length. The route was constructed as part of a strategic defence road network system during World War 2.

Elizabeth Drive:

Elizabeth Drive had at least two changes of name. It was originally called Orphan School Road as it ran from the Orphan School in what is now Bonnyrigg, to Mulgoa. The name was later changed to the Mulgoa Road and then in honour of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the area it was changed to Elizabeth Drive. It was originally a 'corduroy' road, made from round logs.

Multiplexes along the route include:

• State Route 50, for 5 km, between Cecil Park and Bonnyrigg

History:

• 1800s: Operation of toll booth on Blacktown Rd near Windsor. 3
• 1941: Wallgrove Road was constructed as a defence route from the defence areas near Eastern Creek to Liverpool and the Holsworthy Military Barracks. Elizabeth Drive was also constructed as part of the same defence route in 1941. 1
• 1970s: Widening of Elizabeth Dr to six lanes east of North Liverpool Road was completed.
• 1973: Introduction of SR61. 1
• 1980s: A one-way street system was introduced in the early 1980s in Liverpool as Macquarie St was closed due to the construction of a pedestrian mall. SR61 was re-routed from Macquarie St and Scott St onto George St (southbound) and Bigge St (northbound). 1 Works to reduce flood risk along Richmond Rd and Blacktown Rd. 1
• 1980: Replacement of bridge over South Creek on Richmond Road. 4
• December 1980: A new railway overpass connecting Francis Road and Railway Street at Rooty Hill was opened, eliminating the Rooty Hill level crossing, with SR61 re-routed onto Francis Rd, Railway St, Duke St and Woodstock Av. 1
• February 1985: The Department of Main Roads opened the first section of the South Western Freeway and re-routed State Route 61 via the Hume Hwy & South Western Freeway between Elizabeth Dr and Heathcote Rd to bypass Liverpool. 1
• 1990s: Work began on duplicating the two-lane section of Elizabeth Dr through Bonnyrigg and Cecil Hills. 1
• April 1990: Construction commenced on Phillip Parkway and included a new railway overpass. 1
• October 1991: Completion of Wallgrove Rd reconstruction using concrete. 1
• July 1992: The 2km long Phillip Parkway opened to traffic. 5
• 1993: The introduction of Metroad 7 resulted in the southern-most section of State Route 61 being truncated at the Hume Highway and the former Liverpool-Heathcote segment was replaced by Metroad 7. 1
• 2000: Duplication of Elizabeth Dr between Cabramatta Road and Cowpasture Road was completed. 1
• 2003: Duplcation of Elizabeth Dr extended west to Windsor Rd, Cecil Hills. 1
• 2006: Duplication works to Westlink (M7) from Windsor Rd, Cecil Hills. 1

Preview:	Description:
	Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign on Wallgrove Rd at Eastern Creek, April 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Supplemental AD sign at Horsley Park approaching The Horsley Dr, April 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign on Wallgrove Rd at Horsley Park, April 2006. Image © Paul Rands

1 Sam Laybutt (Ozroads)
2 Roads and Traffic Authority, Schedule of Classified Roads (and unclassified Regional Roads)
3 Sydney Morning Herald, Windsor, Page 3, 23 Dec 1870
4 Western Sydney Libraries, Water's Edge, Blacktown
5 Roads Australia, M7 Westlink

Last updated: 27-Jan-2020 20:24

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