Princes Highway

Template:Short description Template:About Template:RJL Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Australian road

Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of Template:Convert (along Highway 1) or Template:Convert via the former alignments of the highway,Template:Citation needed although these routes are slower and connections to the bypassed sections of the original route are poor in many cases.

The highway follows the coastline for most of its length, and thus takes quite an indirect and lengthy route. For example, it is Template:Convert from Sydney to Melbourne on Highway 1 as opposed to Template:Convert on the more direct Hume Highway (National Highway 31), and Template:Convert from Melbourne to Adelaide compared to Template:Convert on the Western and Dukes Highways (National Highway 8). Because of the rural nature and lower traffic volumes over much of its length, Princes Highway is a more scenic and leisurely route than the main highways between these major cities.

RouteEdit

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New South WalesEdit

File:PrincesHighwayMoruya.jpg

Princes Highway at Template:NSWcity.

File:Princes Highway at Eden, NSW.JPG

Princes Highway at Template:NSWcity.

Princes Highway starts at the junction of Broadway (Great Western Highway) and City Road in the Sydney suburb of Chippendale. City Road in fact forms the first section of the highway, and becomes King Street, Newtown, also part of Princes Highway. Where King Street ends at Sydney Park Road, Princes Highway continues in its own right.

The highway in this section is constructed as a six-lane divided carriageway, other than along King Street (four-lane undivided) and along the western edge of the Royal National Park, where it is built as four-lane dual carriageway.

The only major engineering structures along its route are the twin Tom Uglys Bridge across Georges River. The northbound bridge is of steel truss construction, opened in 1929, whilst the southbound bridge is of prestressed concrete girders, opened in 1987.

It runs through Sydney's southern suburbs (the St George area and Sutherland Shire), via Kogarah, Sutherland and Engadine to the village of Waterfall.

File:Woonona 2.jpg

Princes Highway at Template:NSWcity

South of Waterfall the highway is paralleled by the Template:Convert Princes Motorway (national route M1) to the top of Bulli Pass outside the city of Wollongong, which carries the majority of traffic. The Princes Highway then enters the northern suburbs of Wollongong and the Illawarra region via the Bulli Pass, whilst Mount Ousley Road, which is designated as part of national route 1, bypasses Wollongong's northern suburbs to meet the Princes Highway at Template:NSWcity, and carries inter-city traffic. Where Mount Ousley Road enters Wollongong, the Princes Motorway branches off Mount Ousley Road, and parallels the highway through the suburbs of Wollongong to Template:NSWcity.

The Mount Ousley Road-Princes Motorway route is the inter-city and main urban arterial through Wollongong's southern suburbs, whereas the Princes Highway acts as a local arterial.

From the interchange with the Princes Motorway at Yallah, the Princes Highway continues through the bypassed Albion Park Rail before reaching the southern terminus of the motorway at the Oak Flats interchange. From Oak Flats, the Princes Highway is dual carriageway, mostly of freeway standard, with the exception of the Kiama bends at Kiama Heights.

The highway then travels along the upgraded sections through Gerringong and Foxground before bypassing the town of Berry, where the highway follows larger gradients, compared to the flat terrain the Illawarra railway line follows immediately to the east.

Beyond Mullers Lane, Berry, the highway is a single two lane carriageway to Cambewarra Road, Template:NSWcity. Construction is underway for the duplication of the highway from Mullers Lane to Cambewarra Road and is expected to be completed in 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

From Cambewarra Road the highway is four lane divided through Bomaderry and Template:NSWcity to near the junction with Warra Warra Road in South Nowra. Duplication to dual carriageway standard of a Template:Convert length south from here to Forest Road was scheduled for completion in early 2014, following a three-month cessation of work while measures were put in place to protect a hitherto unknown area of habitat of the endangered green and golden bell frog.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Beyond this section is Template:Convert of four lane single carriageway from Forest Road to the junction with Jervis Bay Road.

From Jervis Bay Road southward the highway is mostly single two lane carriageway along the NSW South Coast, passing through Ulladulla, Batemans Bay (where the Template:Convert town centre bypass is built as dual carriageway), Moruya, Narooma, then bypassing Bega and Merimbula and passing through Eden, before crossing the border at the Black-Allen Line into Victoria, Template:Convert from Sydney and Template:Convert from Melbourne.

A substandard alignment at Victoria Creek Template:Convert south of Template:NSWcity was upgraded in 2012–13, as well as the Template:Convert Bega bypass. Realignments with associated new bridges are also proposed at Termeil Creek, some Template:Convert south of Ulladulla, and Dignams Creek, some Template:Convert south of Narooma. Current identified future projects are a bypass of Nowra-Bomaderry (definite route identified only for section south of Shoalhaven River), and a bypass of Ulladulla-Milton.

In 2007 the NRMA claimed Princes Highway was a dangerous road<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with ten fatalities and 729 people injured on the highway between Sydney and the state border in 2006.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} (see Table 25: pages 58–59)</ref>

VictoriaEdit

Template:See also

File:From-Rotunda-Looking-West-Bairnsdale-Vic.jpg

Princes Highway is picturesque in some towns, such as Gippsland’s Bairnsdale, where the median strip has been made a garden.

In Victoria, Princes Highway follows a very long and complex route. The route within metropolitan Melbourne carries the original individual names of sections of Princes Highway on signage. Each road section has Princes Highway labelled in bold and the individual name in brackets, such as Dandenong Road or Geelong Road.

Apart from the routes Alt National Route 1, C101 and C109 (in the outer metropolitan areas – such as Berwick and Werribee), the M1 Freeway route intersects (Monash Freeway/CityLink/West Gate Freeway/Princes Freeway) and this carries the much higher volume of traffic, including congestion in the peak periods, serving as the major, most direct and quickest route for Route 1 in Australia.

In Victoria the length from the South Australian border to the New South Wales border is Template:Convert. The highway passes (from east to west) through Orbost, Bairnsdale and Sale in the Gippsland region. The highway then passes through the Latrobe Valley, bypassing Morwell, Warragul and Pakenham to Dandenong and into the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Most of this section is freeway standard, with the main outstanding work being a freeway bypass of Traralgon, although the highway through Traralgon has already been built to urban dual carriageway standard.

Through much of Melbourne and its suburbs, the designation of National Route 1 is not along Princes Highway, but rather Monash Freeway, which intersects the Princes Highway on the eastern outskirts of Melbourne, then the southern link of the CityLink tollway, and then West Gate Freeway which bypasses central Melbourne. This avoids the confusing and congested arrangement of roads that is the Princes Highway in central Melbourne. The M1 include an advanced freeway management system for its entire Template:Convert urban length, between Narre Warren and Werribee. Along with freeway sensors and associated data stations, overhead lane use management system (LUMS) gantries that show speed and lane availability, electronic message boards, real-time drive time signs and arterial road real-time Information signs (before the on-ramps); there are the 64+ ramp signal and metering sites. Hence, the majority of the on-ramps are traffic light controlled, depending on the density and speed of the traffic.

Heading towards Geelong in a south-west direction, the West Gate Freeway and Geelong Road join and become the Princes Freeway. Which, unusually for an Australian inter-city freeway, carries enough traffic to merit four to three lanes in either direction (often still being congested in the morning and afternoon peaks). On the northern outskirts of Geelong, the highway reverts from freeway to three lane dual carriageway through Geelong and its suburbs, with traffic light-controlled at-grade intersections. Through Geelong the highway is often heavily congested.

With the completion of the freeway standard Geelong Ring Road during 2008–9, the M1 route follows the freeway-standard road from Winchelsea to Traralgon, without encountering any traffic lights (with the exception of Yarragon and Trafalgar, which are yet to be bypassed). The ring road rejoins the original highway at Waurn Ponds on the western edge of Geelong.

Within Geelong, Princes Highway starts at the junction of Princes Freeway in the northern Geelong suburb of Corio, and runs through Geelong's northern and southern suburbs via an inner-city western bypass of the Geelong City Centre, to the current Highway 1 segment of the Princes Highway at Waurn Ponds in Geelong's southern suburbs. The highway is six lane dual carriageway from Corio to Latrobe Terrace, continuing as a four-lane dual carriageway to Waurn Ponds. The 1989 re-alignment of Princes Highway (along La Trobe Terrace) provides a dual carriageway, four-lane limited access road to replace the original route along Moorabool Street in South Geelong and High Street in Belmont. Upon the completion of the final section of the Geelong Ring Road, another section of the Princes Highway was superseded in 2013 at Waurn Ponds.

After Geelong the highway heads in a generally western direction, continuing with the 'M1' designation as a dual carriageway road to Winchelsea (opened 2015). West of Winchelsea, the road is presently being reconstructed to dual carriageway standard, passing through Colac, before reaching Camperdown - ultimately reaching the port of Warrnambool. The section from Geelong to Warrnambool runs inland, and so avoids the slower, but scenic Great Ocean Road. From here, Princes Highway passes through Portland before crossing the border into South Australia. At this point the highway is Template:Convert from Sydney, Template:Convert from Melbourne and Template:Convert from Adelaide.

South AustraliaEdit

At Mount Gambier the highway takes a more northward tack as the coast curves to the northwest, passing the Coorong National Park. After Kingston SE, it turns inland (north) to avoid the lakes at the mouth of the River Murray. Shortly before Tailem Bend it is joined by Dukes Highway, part of the main route between Melbourne and Adelaide. The highway then turns north-west and becomes South Eastern Freeway, crosses the Murray River, bypasses Murray Bridge and continues to Glen Osmond on Adelaide's southeastern outskirts.

At this point, Princes Highway is Template:Convert from Adelaide and Template:Convert from Sydney. It continues north-west via Glen Osmond Road to eventually terminate just south of the Adelaide city centre.

HistoryEdit

The section of Princes Highway between West Helensburgh and Bulli Tops was the original coastal route between Sydney and Wollongong, first used in 1843.Template:Citation needed From Bulli Tops this route continued south along today's Mount Ousley Road as far south as Mount Keira Road, and then followed Mount Keira Road around the west of Mount Keira. This route replaced the inland route from Sydney via Template:NSWcity to Bulli Tops.

As a named route, the highway came into being when pre-existing roads were renamed as "Prince's Highway" after the planned visit to Australia by the Prince of Wales (later to become king Edward VIII and, after abdicating, the Duke of Windsor) in 1920. The original submissions in January 1920 were in order for the Prince to have the opportunity during his visit to make the trip from Melbourne to Sydney overland along the route. Different routes were considered, including the inland route via Template:NSWcity.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That idea never came to fruition, due partly to the limited amount of time and the cost of upgrading the road to a suitable standard for him to undertake the trip. The Prince did, however, give his permission for the naming.<ref name="naming">Template:Cite news</ref>

The highway had opening ceremonies in both New South Wales and Victoria during 1920. The first section of road from Melbourne was opened on 10 August in Warragul.<ref name="naming" /> The road from Sydney was opened in Bulli on 19 October, by the NSW Minister for Local Government, Thomas Mutch.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Within Victoria, the passing of the Country Roads Act of 1912<ref>An Act relating to Country Roads State of Victoria, 23 December 1912</ref> through the Parliament of Victoria provided for the establishment of the Country Roads Board (later VicRoads) and their ability to declare Main Roads, taking responsibility for the management, construction and care of the state's major roads from local municipalities. (Main) Gippsland Road was declared a Main Road over a period of months, from 10 November 1913 (Longwarry through Drouin to Warragul),<ref name="vicgovgaz13" /> 1 December 1913 (Mulgrave through Dandenong and Pakenham to Longwarry, and Warragul through Moe, Morwell and Traralgon to Rosedale),<ref name="vicgovgaz1401">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 2 February 1914 (Rosedale through Sale and Stratford to Bairnsdale),<ref name="vicgovgaz1403">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> to 23 March 1914 (Prahran through Oakleigh and Mulgrave to Clayton);<ref name="vicgovgaz1404">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Orbost-Genoa Road from Orbost via Cann River to Genoa, and Swan Reach-Cunninghame Road from Bairnsdale via Swan Reach to Lakes Entrance, were declared Main Roads on 23 March 1914;<ref name="vicgovgaz1404" /> and lastly, Genoa-Eden Road from Genoa to the interstate border with New South Wales and Eden beyond, was declared a Main Road on 7 September 1914;<ref name="vicgovgaz1406">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> all were renamed in August 1920.<ref name="naming" /> {Melbourne-) Geelong Road was declared a Main Road from Footscray via Werribee and Little River to Corio on 30 December 1913;<ref name="vicgovgaz1402">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Geelong-Colac Road from Geelong to Waurn Ponds, Geelong-Warrnambool Road from Waurn Ponds via Colac and Terang to Warnambool, Warrnambool-Port Fairy Road from Warrnambool to Port Fairy, were declared Main Roads on 16 March 1914,<ref name="vicgovgaz1405">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Port Fairy-Portland Road from Port Fairy to Portland was declared a Main Road on 16 November 1914;<ref name="vicgovgaz1407">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> before approval was given by the Victorian executive in January 1922 to extend Princes Highway west from Melbourne through Geelong, Camperdown, Warrnambool and Portland to the South Australian border,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with the section of the road between Portland and the border declared a Main Road around the same time.<ref name="vicgovgaz22">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The passing of the Developmental Roads Act of 1918<ref>An Act to make provision for Developmental Roads and to amend the Country Roads Acts State of Victoria, 4 April 1918</ref> allowed the Country Road Board to declare Developmental Roads, serving to develop any area of land by providing access to a railway station for primary producers. Prince's Highway between Lakes Entrance and Orbost was declared a Developmental Road on 3 November 1920,<ref name="vicgovgaz20">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the only section of the present alignment not already declared as a Main Road.

The passing of the Highways and Vehicles Act of 1924<ref>An Act to make further provision with respect to Highways and Country Roads Motor Cars and Traction Engines and for other purposes State of Victoria, 30 December 1924</ref> provided for the declaration of State Highways, roads two-thirds financed by the State government through the Country Roads Board. Prince's Highway was declared a State Highway on 1 July 1925,<ref name="vicgovgaz25" /><ref name="CRB12AR">Template:Cite news</ref> traversing the whole length of the state from its western boundary near Mount Gambier in South Australia, through Port Fairy, Warrnambool, Geelong to Melbourne, through Dandenong, Warragul, Sale, Bairnsdale and Orbost to the eastern boundary of the state towards Eden in New South Wales (for a total of 540 miles), subsuming the original declarations of (Main) Gippsland Road, Swan Reach-Cunninghame Road, Orbost-Genoa Road, Genoa-Eden Road, {Melbourne-)Geelong Road, Geelong-Colac Road, Geelong-Warrnambool Road, Warrnambool-Port Fairy Road and Port Fairy-Portland Road as Main Roads, and between Lakes Entrance and Orbost as a Developmental Road.

Within New South Wales, the passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924<ref>An Act to provide for the better construction, maintenance, and financing of main roads; to provide for developmental roads; to constitute a Main Roads Board State of New South Wales Template:Webarchive 10 November 1924</ref> through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later Transport for NSW). Main Road No. 1 was declared along Prince's Highway on 8 August 1928, heading south from the City of Sydney through Sutherland, Wollongong, Nowra, Bateman's Bay and Eden to the southern boundary of the state towards Genoa in Victoria (for a total of 351.5 miles).<ref name="nswgovgaz28" /> With the passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929<ref>State of New South Wales, An Act to amend the Main Roads Act, 1924-1927; to confer certain further powers upon the Main Roads Board; to amend the Local Government Act, 1919, and certain other Acts; to validate certain payments and other matters; and for purposes connected therewith. Template:Webarchive 8 April 1929</ref> to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, this was amended to State Highway 1 on 8 April 1929. Before the adoption of the "Prince's Highway" name in 1920, the road between Sydney and the border was referred to as the Coast Road.<ref name="MRB29-1AR">Template:Cite news</ref>

Within South Australia, roads from Adelaide to the South Australian border with Victoria were renamed by the State government in February 1922.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At that time, the route from Adelaide was via Aldgate, Mylor, Macclesfield, Strathalbyn, and Langhorne Creek, crossing the Murray River at Wellington, then continuing along the present towns of Meningie, Kingston SE, Robe, Beachport, Millicent and Gambier Town (Mount Gambier).<ref name="News1924">Template:Cite news</ref> By 1928, the route went through Mount Barker and Wistow to Langhorne Creek.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By 1935, the Princes Highway passed through Nairne and Kanmantoo,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend (now known as the Old Princes Highway). That road was superseded by the South Eastern Freeway (Crafers-Murray Bridge in stages 1967–1979), Swanport Bridge (1979), finally extended from Crafers to Glen Osmond (2000). The section between Kingston SE and Millicent has also been replaced by a more direct inland route. The coastal route through Robe and Beachport is now route B101, the Southern Ports Highway.

In 1942, as part of wartime defence measures, a road was built from Mount Keira Road to Template:NSWcity. This route forms part of Mount Ousley Road.Template:Citation needed

The passing of the Roads Act of 1993<ref>State of New South Wales, An Act to make provision with respect to the roads of New South Wales; to repeal the State Roads Act 1986, the Crown and Other Roads Act 1990 and certain other enactments; and for other purposes. Template:Webarchive 10 November 1924</ref> through the Parliament of New South Wales updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Princes Highway today retains its declaration as Highway 1, from the intersection with Broadway in Chippendale in Sydney, to the state border with Victoria.<ref name="nswroadsched">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The passing of the Road Management Act 2004<ref name="roadact">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> through the Parliament of Victoria granted the responsibility of overall management and development of Victoria's major arterial roads to VicRoads: VicRoads re-declared the road in 2010 as Princes Highway West (Arterial #6500), beginning at the state border with South Australia to Geelong, then from Altona North to Parkville;<ref name="vicreg-phw">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and in 2007 as Princes Highway East (Arterial #6510), beginning at the Melbourne CBD to Narre Warren, then from Yarragon to Trafalgar, then from Morwell to the state border with New South Wales.<ref name="vicreg-phe">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In August 2011, the stretch of the highway in South Australia between Adelaide and Port Augusta (commonly referred to as "Highway 1") was renamed Port Wakefield Highway (between Adelaide and Port Wakefield) and Augusta Highway (between Port Wakefield and Port Augusta) as part of a process to standardise the rural property addressing system across the state.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Timeline of significant upgrades and bypassesEdit

Timeline of significant upgrades and bypasses
Date	Project	State	Length		Value	Comments	Notes
Date	Project	State	km	mi	Value	Comments	Notes
1940	Laverton deviation	VIC	Template:Convert		The construction of a deviation 6 miles in length (from Kororoit Creek Road, Altona to Old Geelong Road, Hoppers Crossing) was commenced on behalf of the Department of the Interior. The work includes the erection of a bridge over the railway near Laverton station; the new road opened to traffic some time after 30 June 1940.	<ref name="CRB27AR">Template:Cite news</ref>
1961	Maltby By-pass Road (Werribee bypass)	VIC	Template:Convert	A£950,000	Opened on 16 June 1961 by the Hon. Sir Thomas Maltby Template:Post-nominals, Minister of Public Works, the route was named the 'Maltby By-pass Road' by then Premier of Victoria, Henry Bolte Template:Post-nominals. It was Victoria's first controlled-access highway, or 'freeway', as such roads are now generally known in Victoria. 'It is a 4-lane divided highway, 6.5 miles in route length, with no access from adjoining property or cross roads over its entire length'.	<ref>Country Roads Board Victoria. Forty-eighth annual report for the year ended 30th June, 1961, Melbourne, Victoria: Government Printer, 1961. p. 20.</ref>
1959–1962	Club Terrace Loop	VIC	Template:Convert		Beginning in 1959, construction of the Club Terrace Loop deviation was completed in 1962, providing a completely new road diverting traffic from a 15-mile length of narrow, sub-standard road passing through the township of Club Terrace, west of Cann River	<ref name="CRB46AR">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="CRB54AR">Template:Cite news</ref>
1959–1963	North–South Motorway (Princes Motorway)	NSW				From Template:NSWcity to Template:NSWcity, the Motorway was opened in stages, replacing Princes Highway as main north–south route	Template:Citation needed
1964	Connector road	NSW				The road, from Mount Ousley Road to the North–South Motorway at Template:NSWcity, was opened to traffic.	Template:Citation needed
1967	Princes Highway East, near Mount Drummer	VIC	Template:Convert		A ceremony, sponsored by Orbost Shire Council, at Genoa, was held on 17 January 1967.	<ref>Country Roads Board Victoria. Fifty-Fourth Annual Report: for the year ended 30th June, 1967, Burwood, Victoria: Brown, Prior, Anderson, 1968. p. 13</ref>
1967	South Eastern Freeway (Stage 1)	SA				Bypassed Crafers and Stirling.	Template:Citation needed
1969	Moe bypass	VIC	Template:Convert		A dual-lane, Template:Convert-wide single carriageway has been constructed, with earthworks and grade separated structures to accommodate future duplicate pavements	<ref>Country Roads Board Victoria. Fifty-Sixth Annual Report: for the year ended 30th June, 1969, Burwood, Victoria: Brown, Prior, Anderson, 1970. p. 5, 10</ref>
1972	Haunted Hills section	VIC	Template:Convert		Second carriageway opened between Gunn's Gully and Hernes Oak.	<ref>Country Roads Board Victoria. Fifty-Ninth Report: for the year ended 30th June, 1972, Burwood, Victoria: Brown, Prior, Anderson, 1972. p. 9</ref>
1973	Road duplication	VIC	Template:Convert		Dual carriageway from East Warrnambool to Template:VICcity.	<ref name="CRB60AR">Template:Cite news</ref>
1974	Rail crossing elimination	VIC	Template:Convert	$3.8 million	Reconstruction of bridges over railway and grade separation of connecting roads (Gordon Street), Footscray	<ref name="CRB60AR" /><ref name="CRB61AR">Template:Cite news</ref>
1975		NSW				Princes Highway from Template:NSWcity to Bulli Tops, superseded by the opening of Southern Freeway.	Template:Citation needed
1976	Snowy River Bridge, Princes Freeway, Orbost	VIC	Template:Convert	Template:AUD2.4 million	Opened by the Hon. J A Rafferty, Minister for Transport, 25 November 1976. The bridge was the first of four bridges to be built as part of the freeway bypass of Orbost. Template:Small	<ref>Country Roads Board Victoria. Sixty-Fourth Annual Report: for the year ended 30th June, 1977, Burwood, Victoria: Brown, Prior, Anderson, 1977. p. 7</ref><ref>Country Roads Board Victoria. 69th Annual Report. 1981-1982, Kew, Victoria: Country Roads Board Victoria, 1982. p. 24</ref>
1979	Swanport Bridge	SA				Completed the South Eastern Freeway to bypass Murray Bridge.	Template:Citation needed
1981	Template:VICcity bypass	VIC	Template:Convert	Template:AUD12 million	From Robin Hood to the 'existing' highway east of Drouin, with 'two lanes each direction, plus emergency stopping lanes'. Opened 12 February 1981, by the Hon. J C M Balfour, MP.	<ref>Country Roads Board Victoria. 68th Annual Report. 1980-1981, Kew, Victoria: Country Roads Board Victoria, 1981. p. 10</ref>
1983	Template:VICcity bypass	VIC	Template:Convert	Template:AUD19.6 million	Opened on 14 December 1983 by the Federal Minister for Transport, the Hon. Peter Morris MP, and the Victorian Assistant Minister of Transport, the Hon. Jack Simpson MP. This road bypass was from the Princes Highway, near Hessle Road, to Pink Hill, Template:VICcity.	<ref>Road Construction Authority Victoria, 1st Annual Report 1983-84, Kew, Victoria: Road Construction Authority, Victoria, 1984. p. 10</ref>
1985	Template:VICcity bypass	VIC	Template:Convert	Template:AUD23 million	From the end of the Drouin Bypass to Nilma, opened on 12 December 1985 by the Federal Minister for Transport, the Hon. Peter Morris MP, and the Victorian Minister of Transport, the Hon. Tom Roper MP.	<ref name="RCA86AR">Template:Cite news</ref>
1987	Road duplication	VIC	Template:Convert	Template:AUD16 million	Template:VICcity to Template:VICcity duplication opened 10 April 1987.	<ref>Road Construction Authority Victoria, Annual Report 1986-87, Kew, Victoria: Road Construction Authority, Victoria, 1987. p. 64</ref>
1989	Road duplication	VIC				Garfield to Bunyip River duplication completed in June 1989.	<ref>Road Construction Authority Victoria, Annual Report 1988-1989, Kew, Victoria: Road Construction Authority, Victoria, 1989. p. 45</ref>
1992	Template:VICcity bypass	VIC				Bypass opened to traffic in April 1992.	<ref>VicRoads. VicRoads Annual Report 1992-93, Kew, Victoria: VicRoads, 1993, p. 43</ref>
1994	Template:VICcity section duplication	VIC	Template:Convert	Template:AUD25 million	Duplication completed between Bunyip River and Robin Hood in January 1994.	<ref>VicRoads. VicRoads Annual Report 1993-94, Kew, Victoria: VicRoads, 1994, p. 15</ref>
1995	Road duplication	VIC				Duplicated section between Template:VICcity East to Template:VICcity opened in August 1995.	<ref>VicRoads. VicRoads Annual Report 1995-96, Kew, Victoria: VicRoads, 1996, p. 15</ref>
1997	Road duplication	VIC	Template:Convert		Template:VICcity to Trafalgar duplication opened to traffic on 2 May 1997, completing a dual carriageway highway from Melbourne to Traralgon.	<ref>VicRoads. VicRoads Annual Report 1996-97, Kew, Victoria: VicRoads, 1997, p. 16</ref>
2000	Heysen Tunnels	SA				The tunnel replaced Mount Barker Road (through Template:SAcity), extending the Adelaide end of South Eastern Freeway from Crafers to Template:SAcity.	Template:Citation needed
2002	Template:NSWcity Interchange	NSW				The project was opened on 29 October 2001. The interchange was designed to significantly improve traffic flow around the Template:NSWcity/Oak Flats section of the Princes Highway by removing a railway level crossing and nearby traffic signals. 'The interchange also connects with Shellharbour City Council's East-West Link Road'.	<ref>Roads and Traffic Authority NSW. Annual report 2002, Sydney, New South Wales: RTA, 2002. p. 38</ref>
2002	Geelong Road upgrade	VIC				Upgrades completed from the West Gate Bridge to Lara. The Hoppers Crossing to Corio section was widened from two lanes to three in each direction, improvements to interchanges and flood management were made, and central wire rope barriers were installed. The speed limit between Werribee and Corio was decreased from 110 km/h to 100 km/h.	<ref>Viseth Uch. 2007. M1 – Princes Freeway / Highway West. [ONLINE] Available at: http://mrv.ozroads.com.au/. [Accessed 21 February 2018].</ref>
2005	Template:NSWcity bypass	NSW			Template:AUD179 million	Opened to traffic on 28 November 2005. The North Kiama Bypass linked the Kiama Bypass in the south and the Princes Highway near Template:NSWcity in the north.	<ref>Roads and Traffic Authority NSW. Annual report 2006, Sydney, New South Wales: RTA, 2006. p. 26</ref>
2007	Template:VICcity bypass	VIC	Template:Convert	Template:AUD242 million	Opened to traffic in December 2007, funded jointly by the state and federal governments.	<ref>VicRoads. VicRoads Annual Report 2007-08, Kew, Victoria: VicRoads, 2008, p. 35</ref>
2008	Geelong Ring Road	VIC				Template:VICcity to Hamilton Highway, Template:VICcity opened 14 December 2008.	<ref name="VicRoads 2009, p. 43">VicRoads. VicRoads Annual Report 2008-09. Kew, Victoria: VicRoads, 2009, p. 43</ref>
2009	Geelong Ring Road	VIC			Template:AUD380 million	Hamilton Highway, Fyansford to Waurn Ponds opened 14 June 2009, six months ahead of schedule. The project from Corio to Waurn Ponds was funded jointly by the state and federal governments.	<ref name="VicRoads 2009, p. 43"/>
2009	Road duplication	NSW			Template:AUD108 million	Oak Flats to Dunmore dual carriageways opened to traffic in October 2009, completing a four-lane route between Sydney and south of Kiama.	<ref>Roads and Traffic Authority NSW. Annual report 2009-10, Sydney, New South Wales: RTA, 2010. p. 26</ref>
2013	Geelong Ring Road	VIC				Anglesea Road to Princes Highway opened to traffic in February 2013.	<ref name="VicRoads. 2013, p. 20">VicRoads. Annual Report 2012-13, Kew, Victoria: VicRoads, 2013, p. 20</ref>
2013	Road duplication	VIC	Template:Convert		Wurruk to Template:VICcity duplication opened June 2013.	<ref name="VicRoads. 2013, p. 20"/>
2015	Road duplication	VIC	Template:Convert		From Template:VICcity to Template:VICcity.	<ref name="VR15AR">Template:Cite news</ref>
2019–2021	Albion Park Rail Bypass	NSW	Template:Convert	Template:AUD630 million	The northbound lanes of the Albion Park Rail Bypass opened on 7 August 2021. The southbound lanes of the Albion Park Rail Bypass opened on 9 October 2021, completing the 'missing link' in the high standard road between Heathcote and Bomaderry.	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2010-2024	Road duplication	VIC	43	26.71		From Traralgon to Sale.

ProjectsEdit

List of projects on the Princes Highway in New South Wales
Project	Length		Construction		Value	Status	Notes
Project	km	mi	Start	Complete	Value	Status	Notes
Bulli Pass upgrade	Template:Convert				In progress	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Albion Park Rail bypass	Template:Convert	November 2018	October 2021	$630 million	Complete	<ref name=":9" /><ref name="Princes Highway Upgrades" />
Oak Flats to Dunmore upgrade			June 2007	October 2009	$108 million	Complete	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
North Kiama bypass	Template:Convert	November 2003	October 2005	$141 million	Complete	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Kiama On and Off Ramps (Northbound and Southbound)				2008/2009	$8 million	Complete	<ref name="Princes Highway Upgrades" />
Gerringong upgrade	Template:Convert	July 2012	August 2015	$340 million	Complete	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":8">{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Foxground and Berry bypass	Template:Convert	January 2015	June 2017	$580 million	Complete	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Berry to Bomaderry upgrade	Template:Convert	September 2018	2022 (estimated)	$450 million	In progress	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Nowra Bridge study (southbound)						In planning	<ref name="Princes Highway Upgrades" />
South Nowra upgrade – Kingorne Street to Forest Road	Template:Convert	November 2011	March 2014	$62 million	Complete	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Forest Road to Jervis Bay Road	Template:Convert		December 2008	$23.5 million	Complete	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Conjola Mountain realignment	Template:Convert	September 2008	April 2010	$58 million	Complete	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Burrill Lake Bridge replacement				Early 2018	$58 million	Complete	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Termeil Creek realignment	Template:Convert	February 2015	Mid 2016	$21 million	Complete	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Nangudga Bridge replacement				December 2011	$3.7 million	Complete	<ref name="Princes Highway Upgrades" />
Victoria Creek upgrade	Template:Convert	June 2011	March 2013	$35 million	Complete	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Dignams Creek upgrade	Template:Convert	Early 2017	April 2019	$45 million	Complete	<ref name="Princes Highway Upgrades" />
Bega bypass	Template:Convert	June 2012	December 2013	$55 million	Complete	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Pambula River Bridge replacement	Template:Convert	August 2006	March 2008	$17 million	Complete	<ref name="Princes Highway Upgrades" /><ref name=":5">Template:Cite news</ref>

Route allocationEdit

Princes Highway was signed National Route 1 across its entire length in 1955. The Whitlam government introduced the federal National Roads Act 1974,<ref name=NRA1974>Template:Cite Legislation AU</ref> where roads declared as a National Highway were still the responsibility of the states for road construction and maintenance, but were fully compensated by the Federal government for money spent on approved projects.<ref name=NRA1974 />Template:Rp As an important interstate link between the capitals of South Australia and Victoria, the parts of Princes Highway not already replaced by South Eastern Freeway between Adelaide and Tailem Bend were declared a National Highway in 1974. With all three states' conversion to their newer alphanumeric systems between the late 1990s to the early 2010s, its former route number for the most part was updated to A1 for the highway within Victoria (in 1997), South Australia (in 1998), and eventually the New South Wales section (in 2013),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but with many exceptions: see below.

Due to its history of bypasses, many sections of Princes Highway today have different route allocations. These allocations, from its northern terminus in Sydney to its western terminus in Adelaide, are:

Route allocations on the Princes Highway
Route allocation	Road name(s)	Start point	End point	Distance		Cumulative distance		Notes
Route allocation	Road name(s)	Start point	End point	km	mi	km	mi	Notes
Template:AUshield A36	City Road King Street Princes Highway	Template:NSWcity	Junction with President Avenue, Template:NSWcity	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:AUshield A1	Princes Highway	Junction with President Avenue, Kogarah	South of Template:NSWcity, with exit as the Princes Highway to Template:NSWcity	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
undesignated	Princes Highway (superseded route)	South of Waterfall	Template:NSWcity	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:AUshield B65	Princes Highway (superseded route)	Junction with Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Template:NSWcity	Junction with Memorial Drive, Template:NSWcity	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
undesignated	Princes Highway (superseded route)	Junction with Memorial Drive, Bulli	Template:NSWcity Interchange	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:AUshield M1	Princes Motorway	South of Waterfall	Oak Flats Interchange	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:AUshield A1	Princes Highway	Oak Flats Interchange	Black-Allan Line NSW/Victorian border	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:AUshield A1	Princes Highway	Victorian/NSW border	Template:VICcity
Template:AUshield M1	Princes Freeway *	Traralgon	Narre Warren
Template:AUshield C101	Princes Highway (superseded route, Pakenham)	Nar Nar Goon	Narre Warren Template:Small
Template:AUshield Alternate National Route 1	Princes Highway	Narre Warren	Southbank (at West Gate Freeway east terminus)
Template:AUshield Metro Route 60	Kings Way King Street	Southbank	West Melbourne (Victoria Street)
Template:AUshield Metro Route 60	Curzon Street Harker Street	West Melbourne	Parkville (near North Melbourne)
Template:AUshield Metro Route 60	Flemington Road	Parkville (near North Melbourne)	Parkville (near CityLink (west))
Template:AUshield Metro Route 83	Geelong Road (Princes Highway)	Parkville	Laverton North
Template:AUshield M1	Princes Freeway (Maltby Bypass Geelong Ring Road) *	Laverton North	Geelong (Mount Moriac)
Template:AUshield C109	Princes Highway (superseded route, Werribee)	Werribee (near Point Cook and Hoppers Crossing) Template:Small	Werribee (near Cocoroc)
Template:AUshield A10	Princes Highway (superseded route, Geelong) Latrobe Terrace Settlement Road Colac Road	Corio (near Avalon)	Waurn Ponds Template:Small
Template:AUshield M1	Princes Highway	Geelong (Mount Moriac)	Colac (Colac East)
Template:AUshield A1	Princes Highway	Colac (Colac East)	Victorian/South Australian border
Template:AUshield A1	Princes Highway	South Australian/Victorian border	Template:SAcity
Template:AUshield B1	Princes Highway	Mount Gambier	Template:SAcity
Template:AUshield B101 Template:Small	Southern Ports Highway	Millicent	Kingston SE
Template:AUshield A1	Princes Highway	Tailem Bend	Murray Bridge
Template:AUshield M1	South Eastern Freeway/Princes Highway	Murray Bridge	Glen Osmond
Template:AUshield B55 Template:Small undesignated Template:Small	Adelaide Road/Bridge Street/Old Princes Highway (Karoonda Highway) Old Princes Highway (Murray Bridge)	Long Flat	White Hill
undesignated	Old Princes Highway (Nairne, Kanmantoo, Callington (north), Monarto)	White Hill	Littlehampton Mount Barker

Template:Small

Former routesEdit

Within New South Wales, Princes Highway formerly entered Wollongong as State Route 60 down the Bulli Pass and ran a largely separate route from Template:NSWcity and Template:NSWcity through to the southern suburbs from the parallel Princes Motorway, the latter of which today is designated part of route M1.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> The gazetted route of Princes Highway today differs from the route of State Route 60 (and from that shown on road signs).<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref> The gazetted route was designated State Route 60 (now part of route B65, Memorial Drive) for its length, but deviated from the road that is signposted as Princes Highway between Template:NSWcity and Template:NSWcity.