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Camden Valley Way, Camden Bypass, Remembrance Drive & Old Hume Highway (State Route 89) - Narellan to Camden (Decommissioned)

Statistics:

• Length: 72 km (Narellan to Camden: 6 km)
• Northern Terminus: Hume Highway / South Western Freeway (Metroad 5) interchange at Prestons, near Liverpool in southwestern Sydney
• Southern Terminus: Hume Highway (NH31) interchange at Alpine, north of Mittagong
• Suburbs, Towns & Localities along route: Prestons, Catherine Field, Leppington, Denham Court, Smeaton Grange, Narellan, Elderslie, Camden, Menangle, Razorback, Picton, Tahmoor, Bargo, Yanderra, Yerringbool and Alpine

Route Numbering:

• Former:
• Multiplexed with:
• Decommissioned: 2013

General Information:

State Route 89 is the former Hume Highway alignment between Prestons and Alpine near Mittagong. More of the former Hume Highway alignment continues from the northern terminus into the town of Liverpool. That section is defunct as far as numbering is concerned. This happened when the Roads and Traffic Authority decommisioned the Metroad 7 route between the M2 Hills Motorway at West Pennant Hills to the Metroad 5 Hume Highway at Prestons upon opening the Westlink M7 motorway in December 2005.

The route has a very big history, which goes back to the the first road south from Sydney, known as the Great South Road, which was formed in the 1800s. Some sections of the route still utilise the concrete pavement laid in the 1940s. The route is made up of mostly undivided road, however there's sections of 2 lane rural style road, 3 lane road and 4 lane roadway throughout the route, the Camden Bypass is freeway standard from Narellan and Elderslie.

Multiplexes along the route include:

• Tourist Drive 12 from Prestons to Picton and between Tahmoor and Alpine

History:

• 1914: Sydney-Melbourne road (Great South Road) is declared a main road
• 1928: Sections of Great South Road renamed to Hume Highway
• 1940: Hume Highway is (mostly) paved
• 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
• 1959: an experiment using advisory speed signs on curves on the Hume Highway between Camden and Berrima was successful and was extended to other roads. 1
• 1970s: Construction of high standard 4 lane freeway between Campbelltown and Prestons, DMR also built another high standard 4 lane road between Bargo and Alpine (near Mittagong)
• 1973: Opening of the 1km long Macarthur Bridge over the Nepean River at Elderslie and Camden
• 26 October 1973: A six mile (9.7 km) section of the South Western Freeway (formerly F5, now Hume Hwy (Metroad 5)) from Cross Roads to Raby Road opened. 1
• 1974: South Western Freeway extended to Narellan Road near Campbelltown.
• May 1977: South Western Freeway between Yanderra and Alpine opens to traffic. SR89 designation given to the route when the Hume Highway was moved to the South Western Freeway
• March 1989: the Berrima Bypass on Hume Highway opened to traffic2. State Route 89 assigned to the old highway route between Mittagong and Berrima
• 1992: the Mittagong Bypass on Hume Highway opened to traffic. State Route 89 assigned to the Old Hume Highway through Mittagong from Aylmerton to Welby
• Mid 1990s: State Route 89 decommissioned between Alpine and Berrima, replaced by Tourist Drive 17
• December 2005: work was completed to upgrade Camden Valley Way to four lanes between the M7 interchange and Bernera Road, Prestons 1
• 2006: upgrade at the intersection of Camden Valley Way and Raby Road at Catherine Field 1
• 2007: funding allocated to continue upgrading Camden Valley Way to four-lanes between Bernera Road, Prestons and Narellan Road, Narellan 1

Click here for the former Hume Highway alignment at Narellan.

Narellan to Camden			Camden To Narellan
Preview:	Description:		Preview:	Description:
	Advance Directional Sign: Southbound AD on Narellan Road (this section is the duplex of SR89 and Metroad 9) at Narellan as you approach the interchange with Camden Bypass. April 2011. Image © Paul Rands			Divided Road Ahead Sign: Sign announcing improved road conditions ahead, northbound at Camden Park, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Camden Bypass Interchange: Southbound onramp and signage at the Camden Bypass / Narellan Road at Narellan. April 2011. Image © Paul Rands			Start Divided Road: Start of divided roadway, northbound at Camden South, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Camden Bypass Interchange: Southbound onramp and signage at the Camden Bypass / Narellan Road at Narellan. December 2005. Image © Paul Rands			Old Services Sign: Old style local services sign, dating back to the days this road was national highway as you head north on Old Hume Highway at Camden South, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Camden Bypass: Southwest bound through Narellan Vale, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands			Old Hume Highway / Camden Bypass Junction: Looking northbound on Old Hume Hwy at Camden, as you enter the intersection with the Old Hume Highway and Camden Bypass, December 2005. The TD12 duplex splits off here to travel through the Camden town centre. Traffic signals were installed here for the first time in the early 1990s. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: RD sign on the southbound carriageway of the Camden Bypass, Narellan Vale, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Southbound at Spring Farm: Heading into the Camden area on the southbound carriageway at Spring Farm, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Services Sign: Camden services sign from the 1970s as you approach the Elderslie interchange at Spring Farm, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Approaching Elderslie Interchange: Southbound near the Elderslie interchange and bridge over the Nepean River at Spring Farm, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Elderslie Interchange: Southwest through the Elderslie interchange. The interchange is only partially grade separated with southbound traffic from Camden accessing the bypass at an at grade crossing. April 2011 Image © Paul Rands
	Elderslie Interchange: Southwest through the Elderslie interchange. The interchange is only partially grade separated with southbound traffic from Camden accessing the bypass at an at grade crossing. April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Approaching Macarthur Bridge: The divided road / near freeway conditions end here at Macarthur Bridge to cross the Nepean River, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Macarthur Bridge: Looking southbound over the Nepean River at Spring Farm, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Macarthur Bridge: Looking southbound over the Nepean River at Spring Farm, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Old Hume Highway Junction: Looking southbound as you enter the intersection with the Old Hume Highway (TD12), December 2005. This is where the TD12 duplex is reintroduced after being dropped at the Northern Road intersection in Narellan. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: Looking southbound at Camden South through the Old Hume Highway Intersection and approaching Burragorang Road, April 2011. Click here for a photo of this location by Paul Rands from December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Old Hume Highway: Camden Bypass (SR89) at the junction with Remembrance Driveway (Old Hume Hwy) (SR89) and Old Hume Hwy at Camden South. April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: Looking southbound at Camden South on the Old Hume Hwy after the intersection with Burragorang Road, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	End Divided Road: End of divided roadway, southbound at Camden South, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Southbound at Camden Park: Looking towards Picton as you pass through Camden Park, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Bridgewater Boulevarde Intersection: Southbound at Camden Park, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: Looking southbound as you pass the distance sign near the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute at Camden Park, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Southbound at Camden Park: Looking southbound as you pass the distance sign near the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute at Camden Park, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
Click here for the continuation of SR89 between Camden and Picton

1 Roads and Traffic Authority
2 Argyle County web site

Last updated: 15-Aug-2020 14:59

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