Cunningham Highway | |
|---|---|
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| Cunningham Highway (green and black) | |
| General information | |
| Type | Highway |
| Length | 327 km (203 mi) |
| Route number(s) | |
| Major junctions | |
| West end | |
| |
| East end | |
| Location(s) | |
| Major settlements | Yelarbon,Inglewood,Warwick |
| Highway system | |
TheCunningham Highway is a 327-kilometre (203 mi)[1]national highway located insouth-easternQueensland,Australia. The highway links theDarling Downs region with the urbanised outskirts ofIpswich viaCunninghams Gap.[2][3]
The Cunningham carries the National Highway 15shield between Ipswich and north ofWarwick at its junction with theNew England Highway atGlengallan where both the Cunningham and the New England head southconcurrently to Warwick. Thereafter, the Cunningham carries the National Highway 42 shield to its south-western terminus with theLeichhardt Highway atGoondiwindi. The majority of the Cunningham Highway is asingle carriageway with freeway standard and 6-lane arterial road standard towards its north-eastern terminus, near Ipswich.
The Cunningham Highway is a state-controlled road, subdivided into four sections for administrative and funding purposes. Sections 17A, 17B, and part of 17D are part of the National Highway, while section 17C and part of section 17D are strategic roads.[4][5][6][7] The sections are:
State-controlled roads that intersect with the highway are listed in the main article.
The highway is named in honour of theexplorer andbotanistAllan Cunningham who followed a route close to where the modern-day highway runs. In 1828 after discovering the route Cunningham sent a report toGovernorRalph Darling emphasising the economic benefits that a link between the coast and pastoral lands of theDarling Downs would provide.[8] The first road between the coast and the Darling Downs wasSpicers Gap Road developed in 1859, which crossed the range atSpicer's Gap and was suitable for the drays used at that time. AlthoughCunningham's Gap was known at that time, it was considered too steep a route for drays. With the opening of theSouthern railway line betweenToowoomba andWarwick in 1871, passenger and goods transport switched to the railways and Spicers Gap Road fell into disuse and was not well maintained due to the cost.[9]
Even after the advent of the automobile, traffic from Ipswich to Warwick usually went via Gatton and Clifton. It wasn’t until 1946 that construction began on a road through Cunningham’s Gap. The new sealed road through the gap was eventually opened in November 1949.[10]
The north-eastern terminus of the Cunningham Highway is situated a short distance west of where theWarrego Highway reaches its eastern terminus with theIpswich Motorway, atRiverview, a suburb of Ipswich. From this point, the Cunningham Highway heads south-west, bypassing the busy Ipswichcentral business district and the original path of the highway, now named Warwick Road. Between the commencement of the route at Riverview and Ripley Road at Flinders View, the highway is a 4 lane dual carriageway, constructed to Motorway standard with a speed limit of 100, and grade-separated interchanges. From here, the highway transitions to a 'Super 2' expressway, consisting of a 2 lane undivided carriageway, through to Warwick Road, Yamanto. From here, the route transitions from motorway standard to highway standard. The original route would have continued South along what is now Ipswich-Boonah Road. The present route, consisting of a further modern deviation takes the highway south ofWillowbank andRAAF Base Amberley through theScenic Rim region including the towns and settlements ofWarrill View, theFassifern Valley andAratula.[2][11] The Scenic Rim section of the Highway is 2 lanes each way with at-grade intersections, no emergency shoulders and varying speed limits. In the late 90's, investigation and planning was undertaken for a Western Ipswich Bypass from the Warrego Highway at Haigslea, to the Cunningham Highway at Willowbank. This route was ultimately never constructed, but the land reservation remains to this day. This bypass would have seen the Cunningham Highway deviate approximately 500m to the South, bypassing Willowbank and easing the grade of the sharp bend to the South that the present day highway currently traverses. This would likely result in motorway standard construction being extended from Yamanto to Clarrie Hall's Road, South of Willowbank. The at-grade intersection between the Cunningham Highway and Ipswich-Rosewood Road at Willowbank is currently the most congested intersection on the highway and experiences regular delays, as this road functions as a de-facto Western bypass of Ipswich through Amberley and Walloon.
From this point, the Cunningham Highway begins its ascent across theGreat Dividing Range via amountain pass at an elevation of 787 metres (2,582 ft)above sea level called Cunninghams Gap, situated in theMain Range National Park, between the peaks ofMount Cordeaux andMount Mitchell.[11]
As the Cunningham Highway descends through theSouthern Downs region and west adjacent to the settlement ofMaryvale, it reaches a major junction with the New England Highway near Eastments Ridge approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) north of Warwick. The two highways run south to Warwick, sharing the National Route 15 shield and cross theCondamine River before the concurrency terminates and the New England Highway runs south, carrying the National Highway 15 shield; and the Cunningham heads west by south-west throughInglewood,Yelarbon, before reaching its south-western terminus on the outskirts of Goondiwindi.[11]
Within close proximity of Goondiwindi, the Cunningham Highway links to theNewell, Leichhardt, andBarwon highways, with theBruxner Highway nearby.[3][11]
From northeast to southwest, the following towns and settlements are located on the Cunningham Highway:
A lead project to plan and conduct upgrades to the highway, at a total cost of $212.5 million, was in the planning phase in November 2021. The $25 million intersection upgrade described below is included in this project.[12]
A project to upgrade the intersection with the New England Highway east of Warwick, at a cost of $25 million, was due for completion in August 2022.[13]
A project to reconstruct sections of the highway at Cunninghams Gap following bushfire damage, at a cost of $84.27 million, was due to start construction in early 2022.[14]
A project to identify safety issues and propose solutions between Warwick and Inglewood, at a cost of $275,000, was under way in January 2022.[15]
| LGA | Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ipswich | Riverview | 0 | 0.0 |   Ipswich Motorway (National Route M2) east –Brisbane,Gold Coast,Sunshine Coast | North western terminus via motorway-grade underpass |
| 0 | 0.0 | Warrego Highway (National Route M2) west –Toowoomba | No westbound exit to M2 westbound; No southwest bound entrance from M2 eastbound | ||
| Blackstone | 4.6 | 2.9 |  Redbank Plains Road (State Route 61) –Redbank Plains,Blackstone | Southwest bound exit and northeast bound entrance | |
| 5.7 | 3.5 | Redbank Plains Road (State Route 61) –Blackstone,Redbank Plains | Northeast bound exit and southwest bound entrance | ||
| Raceview | 7.7 | 4.8 | Swanbank Road –Swanbank,Raceview | Southwest bound exit and southwest bound entrance | |
| 8.8 | 5.5 | South Station Road –Raceview,Swanbank | Northeast bound exit and northeast bound entrance | ||
| Flinders View | 9.8 | 6.1 | Ripley Road –Flinders View,Ripley | Southwest bound exit and southwest bound entrance; Northeast bound exit and northeast bound entrance | |
| Deebing Heights, Yamanto, Purga | 14.3 | 8.9 |  Centenary Highway (State Route A5) | No southbound exit to A5 southwest bound; No northeast bound entrance from A5 northbound | |
| 14.9 | 9.3 |  Ipswich–Boonah Road south (State Route 93) –Boonah | |||
| 14.9 | 9.3 | Warwick Road north –Yamanto | |||
| 15.7 | 9.8 | End of motorway conditions, beginning of highway conditions southwest bound; End of highway conditions, beginning of motorway conditions northeast bound  (M15) becomes (A15) | |||
| Willowbank | 19.2 | 11.9 | Ipswich-Rosewood Road northwest –Amberley | ||
| Scenic Rim | Fassifern | 56.5 | 35.1 |  Boonah–Fassifern Road east (State Route 90) –Boonah | |
| Southern Downs | Glengallan | 115.6 | 71.8 |  New England Highway (State Route A3) north –Toowoomba | A15 northern concurrency terminus |
| Warwick | 126.6 | 78.7 | Condamine River | Bridge over river | |
| 129.4 | 80.4 | New England Highway (National Route A15) south –Stanthorpe /New South Wales | A15 southern concurrency terminus | ||
| 129.4 | 80.4 | Cunningham Highway continues as (National Route 42) | |||
| Karara | 178 | 111 |  Toowoomba Karara Road (State Route 48) north –Leyburn | ||
| Goondiwindi | Oman Ama, Coolmunda | 216.7 | 134.7 |  Stanthorpe Inglewood Road (Alternate State Route 89) south –Stanthorpe | Eastern concurrency terminus for Alternate State Route 89 |
| Inglewood | 234.4 | 145.6 |  Millmerran–Inglewood Road (State Route 82) north –Milmerran | ||
| 236.4 | 146.9 |  Inglewood–Texas Road (State Route 89) south –Texas | Western concurrency terminus for Alternate State Route 89 | ||
| Goondiwindi | 324.2 | 201.4 |  Leichhardt Highway (National Route A39) west via bypass –St George,Brisbane andRockhampton /(to  Barwon Highway (State Route 85) –Nindigully) | Bypass does not carry the shields, although named as the Leichhardt Highway | |
| 327 | 203 | Marshall Street west toBarwon Highway (State Route 85) – Goondiwindi town centre, St George / NindigullyNewell Highway (National Route A39) south –Macintyre River toNew South Wales | South-western highway terminus at roundabout | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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section under conversion to
Media related toCunningham Highway at Wikimedia Commons
