Pacific Highway | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| View of the Pacific Highway from Wattley Hill Road, New South Wales (c. 2007) | |||
| General information | |||
| Type | Highway | ||
| Length | 779 km (484 mi)[1] | ||
| Gazetted | August 1928(NSW, as Main Road 10)[2] December 1930(QLD)[3] | ||
| Route number(s) |
| ||
| Former route number | SeeFormer route numbers | ||
| Major junctions | |||
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| North end | |||
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| South end | Maitland Road | ||
| |||
| Northeast end | |||
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| Southwest end | Mann Street | ||
| |||
| North end | |||
| South end | |||
| Location(s) | |||
| Major settlements | Ballina,Central Coast,Coffs Harbour,Kempsey,Port Macquarie,Newcastle,Taree,Sydney Brisbane,Gold Coast | ||
| Highway system | |||
ThePacific Highway is anational highway and major transport route of 790 kilometres (490 mi)[1] along the east coast of Australia fromSydney toBrisbane.[1] It is an integral part ofHighway 1 which circumnavigates the Australian continent. At its inception, the highway was asingle carriageway between Sydney and Brisbane. In Australian culture and as a tourist drive, it remains so.[4] Over time, segments of the highway have been upgraded, realigned, or renamed. Between 1996 and 2020, sections of the highway were upgraded tocontrolled-access highway (motorway) standards.[5]
A map of Pacific Highway betweenNambucca Heads to its northern terminus, northwest ofByron Bay. Thereafter,Pacific Motorway continues north toBrisbane.
KEY
The Pacific Highway is divided into the following sections:
Since the most recent declaration of the highway in the April 2010 gazette, the New South Wales section of the highway is officially made up of four separate sections: Warringah Freeway, North Sydney to Gosford Interchange near Kariong; Henry Parry Drive, Wyoming to Pacific Motorway at Ourimbah Interchange; Wyong Road, Tuggerah to Hunter Street, Wickham; and Maitland Road, Warabrook to the state border with Queensland.[6] Since February 2013, the freeway section of the highway north of Brunswick Heads is also concurrently gazetted and is named and signpostedPacific Motorway. South of here, the section between Brunswick Heads andBruxner Highway near Ballina is also signposted Pacific Motorway, however, it was not declared as such in the gazette as of February 2019, therefore it remains as only Pacific Highway in the gazette. Former sections of the highway removed from the gazette, such as between Gosford and Tuggerah, are still signposted as Pacific Highway.
Major cities and towns along Pacific Highway include:Gosford,Wyong,Newcastle,Taree,Port Macquarie,Kempsey,Coffs Harbour,Grafton,Ballina andByron Bay, all inNew South Wales; andGold Coast in Queensland.
Major river crossings include theHawkesbury,Hunter,Myall (east of Bulahdelah),Manning (south ofCoopernook),Hastings (west of Port Macquarie),Macleay (east ofFrederickton),Nambucca (nearMacksville),Bellinger (nearRaleigh),Clarence (via theHarwood Bridge nearMaclean),Richmond (at Ballina),Brunswick, andTweed rivers.
From Sydney, Pacific Highway starts as the continuation ofBradfield Highway at the northern end of theSydney Harbour Bridge, immediately north of theSydney central business district, and is the main route as far as the suburb ofWahroonga. Between the Harbour Bridge and theGore Hill Freeway atArtarmon, the highway has no route number. From Gore Hill Freeway to Wahroonga, it is designated as route A1. When theWarringah Freeway was constructed in the late 1960s, southbound traffic was diverted through North Sydney via Mount Street, and in October 1985 it was redirected via Berry Street.[7]
From WahroongaKariong, the Pacific Highway runs mostly parallel to the freeway, before diverting through theCentral Coast viaGosford andWyong. The section from Cowan to Kariong follows a winding scenic route with speed limits of 60 or 70 km/h (37 or 43 mph).
The section of the former Pacific Highway from the Wiseman’s Ferry Road junction atKariong to theGosford exit near Brian McGowan Bridge was redesignated as theCentral Coast Highway, A49. North ofGosford, the highway continues without a route number through theCentral Coast suburbs ofOurimbah andWyong, before connecting with a spur of the Pacific Motorway nearDoyalson, signed as route A43. At this point, the Pacific Highway is signed as route A43 for most of its length, forming a four- to six-lane regional highway that passesLake Macquarie and continues through the suburbs of Lake Macquarie andNewcastle before rejoining route A1 atHexham.
FromBennetts Green toSandgate, the highway is paralleled by the Newcastle Inner City Bypass, which runs throughNew Lambton andJesmond.
From Hexham, the Pacific Highway passes through theMid North Coast andNorthern Rivers region toBrunswick Heads[8] where it becomes thePacific Motorway continuing to Brisbane.
Former sections of the Pacific Highway were created when parts of the route were removed from the gazette definition or bypassed by new alignments. Some former sections of the Pacific Highway that were removed from the gazette definition continue to be referred to and signposted as Pacific Highway.
Between Sydney and Hexham, some sections of the highway were re-gazetted as other roads or are no longer included in the gazette definition of the Pacific Highway. However, as of January 2019, many of these roads are still referred to and signposted as the Pacific Highway.
The first two sections of the highway to be removed from the gazette was the Calga toKariong section and a section in Gosford between Racecourse Road/Etna Street and Brian McGowan Bridge in November 1996.[9] The remaining section within Gosford, between Kariong and Brian McGowan Bridge, was re-gazetted and renamedCentral Coast Highway in August 2006.[10][11][12] These changes resulted in the previously undivided section betweenOurimbah and Sydney to be split into two: Kariong to Sydney, and Ourimbah toWyoming.
The April 2010 gazette removed the sections between Racecourse Road/Etta Street and Henry Parry Drive/Pemmel Street in Gosford, between Ourimbah and Tuggerah, and between Hunter Street and Industrial Drive in Newcastle from the existing declaration of the highway, but redeclared the section between Calga and Kariong.[13][14] As of January 2019[update], this is the most recent gazette to redefine the declaration of Pacific Highway. Even though these three removed sections are not gazetted as part of Pacific Highway anymore, street signage continues to show "Pacific Highway" and maps often show both the current road name and "Pacific Highway" together.
In Queensland, Pacific Highway used to go into Brisbane, however, most sections have been renamed to other roads or highways. For example, the section of Pacific Highway between Coolangatta and Currumbin is now part ofGold Coast Highway.
Sections of the highway between Hexham and the Queensland/NSW border that were bypassed and replaced by new sections of Pacific Highway, were renamed and downgraded to local roads, and are no longer part of Pacific Highway. As the new sections are just bypasses, this meant that the section between Hexham and Queensland border is still a continuous route. Prominent bypassed sections of the highway between Hexham and the border include:
In May 2009, the portion of theTugun Bypass (newly opened in June 2008) within New South Wales boundaries was declared as the new alignment of Pacific Highway between Tweed Heads interchange and the Queensland border. The 1-kilometre-long (0.62 mi) older bypassed alignment along Tweed Heads Bypass (opened 1992) towards the border atCoolangatta was gazetted asGold Coast Highway instead, extending the already existing Gold Coast Highway in Queensland, into New South Wales.[18][19] The Tugun Bypass was handed over to theNSW government in June 2018.[20] The section of the bypassed highway within Queensland borders between Stewart Road and Gold Coast Highway was officially renamed Tugun-Currumbin Road, but is signposted as Stewart Road.[21][22]

Initially, the primary mode of transport connecting the coastal areas betweenSydney andBrisbane was by boat. However, a continuous inland route fromNewcastle to Brisbane via theNorthern Tablelands had been in existence since the 1840s. A direct coastal route between Sydney and Newcastle was not completed until 1930, and completion of the sealing of the Pacific Highway did not occur until 1958 (at Koorainghat, south ofTaree). The last of the many ferries across the coastal rivers was not superseded by a bridge until 1966 (theHarwood Bridge across the south channel of theClarence River, the north channel having been bridged in 1931).
Between 1925 and 1930 the Main Roads Board of New South Wales reconstructed and sealed a route betweenHornsby and Calga that had been abandoned some forty years earlier, to provide a direct road link between Sydney and Newcastle. In addition, a replacement route from Calga into the gorge ofMooney Mooney Creek and up to the ridge atKariong above Gosford was also required. This new Sydney–Newcastle route via Calga and Gosford was some 80 kilometres (50 mi) shorter than the previous route viaParramatta,McGraths Hill,Maroota,Wisemans Ferry,Wollombi andCessnock. At first, the old Peats Ferry was reinstated to cross theHawkesbury River, with construction of the bridge not beginning until 1938, due to theGreat Depression. Due to the onset of the Second World War, thePeats Ferry Bridge was not completed until May 1945.

The passing of theMain Roads Act of 1924[23] through theParliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later theDepartment of Main Roads, and eventuallyTransport for NSW).Great Northern Highway was declared (as Main Road No. 9), running from North Sydney via Hornsby, Peat's Ferry, Gosford, Swansea and Newcastle to Hexham[2] (still under construction), andNorth Coast Highway was declared (as Main Road No. 10), running from Hexham, Stroud, Gloucester, Taree, Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour, South Grafton, Ballina, Byron Bay, Mullumbimby, and Murwillumbah to Tweed Heads,[2] on the same day, 8 August 1928. With the passing of theMain Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929[24] to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, these were amended to State Highways 9 and 10 on 8 April 1929.
In Queensland, there existed a series of local roads, which could be used by early motor vehicle owners to drive from Brisbane to the state border at Tweed Heads, but these roads were not designed for cars, and hence the journey was more like an adventure, only undertaken by the experienced motorist. The railway line to Southport and Tweed Heads was the preferred mode of transport. It wasn't until 1920 when Queensland's Main Roads Board was formed that theMain South Coast Road was declared. It was declared as thePacific Highway in December 1930, although the final part of the highway (the Logan River bridge) wasn't opened until July of the next year.[3] In New South Wales, a section of State Highway 9 (Great Northern Highway) from Hexham to Sydney, was re-declared as part of as State Highway 10; its entire length (including North Coast Highway from Hexham to the state border with Queensland, and the newly added section of Great Northern Highway) was renamedPacific Highway to match Queensland's declaration on 26 May 1931;[25] The Great Northern Highway was truncated to meet the Pacific Highway at Hexham[25] (and was later renamed toNew England Highway in 1933[26][27]).
Until the 1990s most road freight between Sydney and Brisbane passed along theNew England Highway instead, due to the easier topography of the Northern Tablelands it traverses. Between 1950 and 1967, traffic on Pacific Highway quadrupled due to the attraction of coastal towns between Sydney and Brisbane for retirement living and tourism.
Two majorcoach accidents on Pacific Highway in 1989 nearGrafton (in which 21 people died) and at Clybucca nearKempsey (in which 35 people died) resulted in a public outcry over the poor quality of the road and its high fatality rate.[28] Pacific Highway was never part of the federally funded system ofNational Highways. This appears to be because when thefederal government funding of the 'national highway' system began in 1974, the longerNew England Highway was chosen rather than Pacific Highway as the Sydney–Brisbane link, due to its easier topography and consequent lower upgrade costs.
In 1994, the Roads and Traffic Authority considered theenvironmental impact statement of a proposal for a toll road betweenCoolongolook and Possum Brush.[29][30] The proposal was from Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation Ltd and Travers Morgan Pty Ltd.
Until December 1997, a short 3.5-kilometre (2.2 mi) section of the highway between Ourimbah and Kangy Angy was used bySydney–Newcastle Freeway traffic as there was no freeway alternative.[31] This section of Pacific Highway was designated as part ofNational Route 1 and subsequently National Highway 1. It was also upgraded to dual carriageway in the early 1970s.[32] Due to the shared freeway and highway traffic, the at-grade interchanges between the freeway and the highway at Ourimbah and Kangy Angy became bottlenecks during peak times. In December 1997, the Ourimbah Creek Road to Kangy Angy stage of the freeway, located 150 m west of the highway, opened to traffic.[33] The new freeway section was one of the last sections of the freeway to be completed and was referred to as the "missing link" of the freeway.[34] Pacific Highway was bypassed and reduced to one lane per direction, and the northbound carriageway and bridge over Ourimbah Creek north of Palmdale Road were removed. The at-grade interchange between the freeway and the highway at Kangy Angy was also removed.
The section of the highway from Cowan to Kariong follows a scenic winding route with varying speed limits, typically 60 or 70 km/h (37 or 43 mph). This section was damaged quite severely duringsevere weather in June 2007. Five people died when a bridge over Piles Creek collapsed and the entire section was closed due to subsidence 2 km (1.2 mi) further south. The road was reopened in 2009 when theHolt-Bragg Bridge was opened, named after the family that had perished.
The New South Wales section of Pacific Highway from Brunswick Heads to the state border with Queensland was re-declared as part ofPacific Motorway in February 2013.[35]
The passing of theRoads Act of 1993[36] through theParliament of New South Wales updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this Act, Pacific Highway today retains its declaration as Highway 10, across all four of its gazetted sections, from the state border with Queensland (via Pacific Motorway) to North Sydney.[37]
Pacific Highway was signed National Route 1 across its entire length in 1955. With the conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in 2013, this was replaced with route M1 for sections classified as a motorway,[8] and route A1 for sections classified as a highway (except between Hexham and Wahroonga, where it is designated route A43 through most of the Central Coast between Hexham and Doyalson, and route B83 between Kariong and Wahroonga).[38]
The highway was heavily used by interstate traffic and its upgrade was beyond the resources of theNew South Wales government alone.[citation needed] The NSW and federal governments argued for years about how the responsibility for funding the highway's upgrade should be divided between themselves, only coming up with a mutually acceptable upgrade package just after the 1996/97financial year.
As part of a joint New South Wales and federal funding arrangement and upgrade masterplan, single carriageway sections fromTweed Heads toHexham were progressively converted to freeway ordual carriageway standards commencing in 1996. At the time, the plan targeted to have Pacific Highway upgraded to dual carriageway by 2016. The strategy divided the remaining sections into three levels of priority:[39]
In the meantime, numerous sections of existing single carriageway road were upgraded by re-alignments and safety improvement work including the addition of overtaking lanes, pavement widening and median barriers. Overall the highway became safer and travelling times were substantially reduced, particularly during holiday periods.[citation needed].
The four-lane dual carriageway upgrade of the highway was completed in December 2020.[40] Continuous dual carriageway, much of it freeway standard, now extends fromMayfield West in Newcastle to the Queensland border. As of completion, aboutA$15 billion have been invested in the upgrade by the federal and state governments, and fatalities have dropped by more than 75% since the upgrade started in 1996.[41]
| Section[42] | Total length (km) | Completion date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before Upgrade | After Upgrade | ||
| Tweed Heads toBallina (Bruxner Highway)[43] including part ofPacific Motorway | 90.5 | 91 | December 2015 |
| Ballina toCoffs Harbour[44] | 206.5 | 204 | December 2020 |
| Coffs Harbour toPort Macquarie (Oxley Highway)[45] | 151 | 145 | June 2018 |
| Port Macquarie toMayfield West (Newcastle)[46] | 221 | 217 | 2013 |
| Totals | 666 | 657 | December 2020 |
The Coffs Harbour Bypass is a 14-kilometre (8.7 mi) realignment of Pacific Highway that will bypass the city ofCoffs Harbour, including up to 12 sets of traffic lights.[47] It is being built as a four-lane motorway with three tunnels.[48] It is the last section of the Pacific Highway Upgrade, and is being funded by the state and federal governments. The project was granted planning approval by the state government in November 2020 and the federal government in December 2020.[49][50] Tenders for its construction were let in June 2022, with major construction commencing in early 2023. It is expected to be open to traffic in late 2026.[51]
The highway was upgraded to dual carriageway that is either an arterial standard (Class A) or a motorway standard (Class M). The Class M sections between Woolgoolga and Ballina are:[52]
Following the dual carriageway upgrade, the only remaining project of the Pacific Highway Upgrade is the Coffs Harbour Bypass.[53] Additionally, theM1 to Raymond Terrace project, which is classified as a separate project, will be a motorway extending and connecting thePacific Motorway (Sydney to Newcastle section) to the upgraded Pacific Highway at Raymond Terrace.[54][55] Construction formally commenced in January 2024 and is expected to be completed by 2028.[56]
| Project | Length (km) | Construction dates | Value | Status | Description | Distance from Sydney (km) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | ||||||
| Ballina to border | |||||||
| Tugun Bypass | 7 | June 2006[57] | 3 June 2008[57] | $543 million[57] | Complete | Part of thePacific Motorway, partly in Queensland. Upgrade not part of the program. Funded by the Queensland Government and Federal Government[20] | 823 |
| Banora Point | 2.5[58] | December 2009[58] | 22 September 2012[58] | $359 million[58] | Complete | Part of thePacific Motorway | 817 |
| Chinderah bypass | 5.8[59] | 1993[60] | 29 November 1996[59] | $67 million[59] | Complete | Part of thePacific Motorway | 812 |
| Yelgun to Chinderah | 28.6[61] | May 2000[61] | 6 August 2002[61] | $348 million[61] | Complete | Part of thePacific Motorway, includes 3 interchanges | 784 |
| Brunswick Heads Bypass (stage 1) | 3.4[62] | 12 September 1996[62] | 5 June 1998[62] | $17 million[62] | Complete | Part of thePacific Motorway, first 2 lanes | 774 |
| Brunswick Heads to Yelgun | 8.6[63] | July 2005[60] | 11 July 2007[63] | $219 million[64] | Complete | Part of thePacific Motorway, duplication | 777 |
| Tandy's Lane realignment | 5.5[65] | October 1999[66] | 19 December 2001[67] | $44 million[66] | Complete | Part of thePacific Motorway | 773 |
| Ewingsdale to Tyagarah realignment | 4.3[68] | Late 1996[67] | 16 October 1998[68] | $22 million[68] | Complete | Part of thePacific Motorway | 765 |
| Ewingsdale interchange | 1.9[69] | February 1999[69] | 20 December 2000[69] | $22.5 million[69] | Complete | Part of thePacific Motorway | 764 |
| Tintenbar to Ewingsdale | 17[70] | May 2012[70] | 18 December 2015[70] | $862 million[70] | Complete | Four lane motorway (limited access), new alignment, 110 km/h speed limit, twin-tube road tunnel underSt Helena Hill. | 749 |
| Ballina Bypass | 12[71] | May 2008[71] | March 2011 (Cumbalum Interchange to Ross Lane Interchange) 29 November 2011 (Teven Road to Cumbalum Interchange) 20 December 2011 (southbound lanes from Teven Road to Bruxner Highway) 11 February 2012 (northbound lanes from Teven Road to Bruxner Highway) 28 April 2012 (Pacific Highway to the Bruxner Highway)[71] | $640 million[71] | Complete | New alignment | 737 |
| Woolgoolga to Ballina[72][73][74] | |||||||
| Pimlico to Ballina Bypass | 6 | December 2019[75] | Complete | Duplication of existing highway. New bridge over Emigrant Creek | |||
| Pimlico toTeven | 2.3[76] | November 2013[76] | 5 May 2016[77] | $92 million[76] | Stage 2 complete | Duplication, rebuilding of old carriageway, stage 3 completed in December 2019 as part ofWoolgoolga to Ballina project | 733 |
| Woodburn to Pimlico | 34 | 17 September 2020[78][79] | Complete | New alignment, bypasses Woodburn, Wardell, and Broadwater. Bridge over the Richmond River at Wardell was the last bridge to open for the Pacific Highway Upgrade[80] | |||
| Devils Pulpit to Woodburn | 15 | 11 December 2020[40][41] | Complete | Duplication of existing highway | |||
| Devils Pulpit | 7.3[81] | December 2011[81] | 20 March 2014[81] | $77 million[81] | Complete | Four lanes, partly new alignment | 678 |
| Mororo to Devils Pulpit | 15 | 27 August 2020[82][83] | Complete | Duplication of existing highway | |||
| Maclean to Mororo | 9 | 22 September 2020[84][85] | Complete | Duplication of existing highway. Newbridge over the Clarence River at Harwood opened 6 December 2019[86] | |||
| Tyndale to Maclean | 12 | 1 April 2020[87][88] | Complete | New alignment. Maclean Interchange fully opened on 5 August 2020.[89] | |||
| Glenugie to Tyndale | 36 | 19 May 2020[90][91] | Complete | Four lane divided highway, new alignment, also known as Grafton Bypass.[92] Old bypassed alignment renamedBig River Way | |||
| Glenugie upgrade | 2.5[93] | 2010 | 9 February 2012[93] | $60 million[94] | Complete | Four lanes, new alignment for southbound traffic. New northbound carriageway opened adjacent to southbound carriageway on 26 November 2020 as part of Woolgoolga to Ballina project[95] | 590 |
| Wells Crossing to Glenugie | 8 | 26 November 2020[95] | Complete | New two-lane alignment for northbound traffic, adjacent to the existing southbound carriageway that was built as part of Glenugie Upgrade | |||
| Halfway Creek to Glenugie | 12 | 23 August 2017[96][97] | Complete | Duplication of existing highway between Grays Road and Franklin Road (Glenugie upgrade) | |||
| Halfway Creek | 3.4[98] | Late 2002[99] | June 2004 | TBA | Complete | Partly new alignment. | 583 |
| Woolgoolga to Halfway Creek | 14[100] | July 2015[101] | December 2017 | Complete | Duplication of existing highway, partly new alignment.[102] 10 km Corindi Beach bypass opened to traffic on 24 October 2017.[103] Old bypassed alignment renamedSolitary Islands Way | 561 | |
| Sapphire to Woolgoolga | 25[104] | August 2010[104] | 30 July 2014[105] | $850 million[104] | Complete | Four lane divided highway, partly new alignment, 10 km Woolgoolga bypass opened to traffic on 16 December 2013.[106] Old bypassed alignment renamedSolitary Islands Way | 535 |
| Korora Hill Reconstruction | 1.5[107] | January 1997[107] | 15 December 1997[107] | $6 million[107] | Complete | Duplication and reconstruction | 533 |
| Coffs Harbour | |||||||
| Coffs Harbour Bypass | 12[108] | 2021[108] | 2024[108] | $1.2 billion[108] | Construction | four lane freeway with 3 interchanges, new alignment, 2 tunnels and a cut and cover tunnel | 524 |
| Port Macquarie to Coffs Harbour | |||||||
| Lyons Rd to Englands Rd | 5.3[109] | October 1997[110] | 25 May 2001[110] | $73m[111] | Complete | Duplication and reconstruction | 520 |
| Bonville upgrade | 9.6[112] | November 2006[113] | 16 September 2008[113] | $245m[112] | Complete | Duplication and reconstruction, covered tunnel for koalas | 514 |
| Raleigh Deviation | 8[114] | January 1995[114] | 24 September 1998[114] | $72m[114] | Complete | Duplication and reconstruction | 506 |
| Nambucca Heads toUrunga | 22[115] | November 2013[116] | 22 July 2016[117][118][119] | $780 million[115] | Complete | Four lane limited access motorway, 110 km/h, 3 interchanges, bypasses Urunga. Old bypass alignment renamedGiinagay Way | 484 |
| Warrell Creek to Nambucca Heads | 20[39] | December 2014[39] | 18 December 2017 (Nambucca and Macksville bypass) Warrell Creek bypass opened 29 June 2018[118][120][121][122] | $830 million[39] | Complete | Four lane limited access motorway, 110 km/h, 2 interchanges, including bypasses of Warrell Creek,Macksville and Nambucca Heads. Old bypass alignment renamedGiinagay Way | 464 |
| Eungai Duplication | 4.2[123] | January 1998[114] | March 1999[114] | $15m[123] | Complete | Duplication of first carriageway, which was opened on 23 February 1994[124] | 455 |
| Frederickton to Eungai | 26.5[125] | August 2013[125] | 16 May 2016[125] | $675 million | Complete | Four lane divided highway. Freeway from Stuarts Point interchange to South Kempsey. 110 km/h speed limit | 427 |
| Kempsey Bypass | 14.5[126] | June 2010[126] | 27 March 2013[126] | $618 million[126] | Complete | Dual carriageway motorway with 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi)bridge over Macleay River, new alignment. Old bypassed alignment renamedMacleay Valley Way | 413 |
| Kundabung to Kempsey | 14[39] | November 2014[39] | 6 September 2017 (Opened to 2 lanes each way on 1 November 2017)[127][39] | $230 million[39] | Complete | Upgrade of current road to four lanes, partially limited-access (One lane opened in each carriageway. Other lanes are open end of October 2017) | 398 |
| Oxley Highway toKundabung[39] | 23[39] | October 2014[39] | 17 November 2017[128] | $820 million[39] | Complete | Four lane divided road (freeway south of Haydon's Wharf Road interchange), bridges over theHastings andWilson rivers, 2 interchanges, deep cutting through Cooperabung range. | 373 |
| Newcastle to Port Macquarie | |||||||
| Herons Creek Deviation Duplication | 14[129] | November 1997[130] | 3 July 1998[129] | $19m[129] | Complete | Duplication of the first carriageway, which was opened in 2 stages: the northern stage from Ryans Road to theOxley Highway in December 1990 and the southern stage in November 1993.[129] | 359 |
| Herons Creek to Stills Road Upgrade | 3.5[131] | March 2011[131] | 25 October 2013[132] | $60m[131] | Complete | Replacement of substandard carriageway (part of the old highway) to raise the road to freeway standard. | 356 |
| Coopernook to Herons Creek | 33[133] | November 2007[133] | 23 July 2010[133] | $555m[134] | Complete | Upgrade of highway to four lanes including a western bypass of Moorland, Johns River and an eastern bypass ofKew. | 325 |
| Coopernook Bypass | 4.2[135] | February 2004[136] | 22 March 2006[135] | $44m[136] | Complete | Four lane bypass. | 321 |
| Taree to Coopernook | 7.5[137] | November 2001[136] | 4 August 2005[137] | $59m[137] | Complete | Upgrade to four lanes, two new bridges over Ghinni Ghinni Creek and two cattle underpasses. Some upgrading, including four-lane sections had commenced in September 1996 and was completed in 1998. | 312 |
| Taree Bypass | 14.5[138] | July 1993 (first carriageway)[139] | 14 December 1997 (first carriageway); 12 April 2000 (second carriageway)[139] | $126m[140] | Complete | Four lane highway, new alignment | 303 |
| Possum Brush to Taree | 17[141] | 1990[141] | 19 August 1991 (Possum Brush Deviation); 24 May 1994 (Rainbow Flat Deviation)[141] | TBA | Complete | Four lane highway, old road used for northbound carriageway between Failford Road and Bonvale Close, planned to be replaced as part of Failford Road to Tritton Road upgrade | 294 |
| Failford Road to Tritton Road upgrade | 3[142] | TBA | TBA | TBA | In planning | New carriageway and interchange with Failford Road | 293 |
| Bundacree Creek to Possum Brush | 9.7[143] | September 2004[144] | 4 November 2006[145] | $115m[145] | Complete | Four lanes generally along old alignment, including upgrade of existing Nabiac bypass, new interchange and bridges. | 277 |
| Wang Wauk to Bundacree Creek | 4.8[146] | August 1997[146] | 10 December 1998[146] | $21m[146] | Complete | Four lanes generally along old alignment. | 272 |
| Coolongolook to Wang Wauk | 11.7[147] | December 1999[148] | 29 July 2001[147] | $49m[149] | Complete | Four lanes generally along old alignment, 80 km/h zone through Coolongolook. | 263 |
| Bulahdelah to Coolongolook | 23[150] | April 1997[148] | 27 October 1999[148] | $130m[149] | Complete | Four lanes freeway on new alignment. Replaces the original winding highway which is now called Wootton Way. | 236 |
| Bulahdelah upgrade | 8.6[151] | August 2010[151] | 27 June 2013[151] | $315 million[151] | Complete | Four lane highway, new alignment. Initial earthworks began in 2007.[152] | 232 |
| Karuah to Bulahdelah | 11 (section 1),[153] 23 (section 2 and 3)[154] | June 2005 (section 1)[155] February 2007 (sections 2 and 3) | 15 December 2006 (section 1),[155] 2 October 2009 (sections 2 and 3)[155] | $114m (section 1),[153] – (sections 2 and 3) | Complete | Four lane highway (section 1 from Karuah to 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of Myall Way and sections 2 and 3 further north) | 193 |
| Karuah bypass | 9.8[156] | June 2002[157] | 22 September 2004[158] | $117m[157] | Complete | Four lane freeway, bridge overKaruah River and interchanges at either end. | 187 |
| Raymond Terrace to Karuah | 18[159] | August 1998[159] | 1 December 2000[159] | $86m[159] | Complete | Four lane highway, consisting of new 2-lane northbound carriageway and upgrade of old road as southbound carriageway | 165 |
| Raymond Terrace Bypass | 7.6[160] | November 1993[160] | 17 December 1998[160] | $78m[160] | Complete | Four lane freeway, including 1 interchange and pairs of bridges at three other places | 162 |
| Newcastle | |||||||
| M1 to Raymond Terrace | 15[161] | TBA | TBA | TBA | In planning | Four lane freeway connecting theM1 to Pacific Highway, four interchanges, 2.6 km bridge over theHunter River, bypasses Hexham, Tarro and Beresfield while replacing the existing route through Heatherbrae | 147 |
In 2007 mounting pressure was placed on the federal government to provide additional funding for the highway.[citation needed] On 10 October 2007 the Federal Minister for Transport and Regional Services pledged $2.4 billion in funding for the highway, subject to dollar for dollar funding by the NSW state government. However, the NSW state government refused to match funding. In the lead up to the2007 federal election, then opposition leaderKevin Rudd pledged $1.5 billion in funding.[162] As part ofAusLink 2 (Nation Building Program), the federal government announced in its2009 federal budget that $3.1 billion would be spent on the highway up until 2014[163] at which time just 63% of the highway would be duplicated.[164] The NSW government will spend just $500 million over that same period, with $300 million cut as a result of the 2008 mini budget.[165][166]
From time to time, there are proposals in the media for theprivate sector to build a fully controlled-access high-speed tollway between Newcastle and the Queensland border, possibly using theBOT system of infrastructure provision. Nothing eventuated from these proposals.[167]
Other sections of Pacific Highway (between Hexham and Sydney) have been upgraded or proposed to be upgraded:
Pacific Highway was signed National Route 1 along its entire length in 1955. Over time, as road projects reallocated the route, or bypassed it entirely, these remaining sections were replaced with others. Formerroad routes of Pacific Highway have included:[172]
The Pacific Highway was one of the most dangerous and deadly stretches of road in Australia, partly due to its high traffic levels. Between 1995 and 2009, over 400 people died on the highway. In 1989, two separate bus crashes, theGrafton bus crash (in which 21 people died) and theKempsey bus crash (in which 35 died) on the highway were two of the worst road accidents in Australia's history.[178] In 2010, 38 people died on Pacific Highway, and in 2011, 25 people.[179] Over the past 15 years, the New South Wales Roads & Traffic Authority reports that about 1,200 people have been injured each year.[179]
In January 2012, aute swerved into the path of aB-double truck, which then veered off-road and crashed into two houses atUrunga. 11-year-old boy Max McGregor, who was sleeping in one of the houses, and the ute driver died from the incident. Another seven people were taken to Coffs Harbour Hospital.[180] It was found that the ute driver had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.245, five times over the limit, equal to more than 25 standard drinks.[181] The section of the highway through Urunga was bypassed in 2016.
Much of the danger of Pacific Highway lay in the fact that it contained long stretches of undivided road along which all types of vehicles, including private automobiles, buses, vans and trucks, simultaneously travelled at speeds approaching and in excess of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). The undivided sections carried a high risk of head-on collisions. This was relieved to an extent by the provision of regular passing lanes, but these did not fully cope with the high level of traffic during holiday periods. After the 1989 crashes, the investigating coroner, Kevin Waller, recommended that the highway be fully divided along its entire length.[182] Motorists surveyed by theNational Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA) voted Pacific Highway the worst road in New South Wales in 2012.[183]
Themajor intersections of Pacific Highway, spread over 779 kilometres (484 mi) on the eastern seaboard of New South Wales comprise a mix of freewaygrade-separated conditions, suburban and urban roads. BetweenPacific Motorway atBrunswick Heads in the north, and the highway's southern terminus atBradfield Highway andCahill Expressway inNorth Sydney, major intersections include:
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