Editing Highways in Australia (section)

==History==
[[File:NorthSouthMotorway T2T Southbound.png|thumb|right|250px|Southbound on the [[North-South Motorway]] in [[Adelaide, South Australia]].]]
The earliest needs for trade and travel were met by narrow bush tracks, used by tribes of [[Indigenous Australian]] prior to European settlement. The formal construction of [[road]]s began in 1788, after the founding of the colony of New South Wales. These roads were little more than cleared paths, constructed without [[Grading (engineering)|grading]], [[drainage|drainage systems]], and [[road surface]]s.<ref name=history>{{cite web|title=A History of Australian Road and Rail|url=http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/transport/publications/files/history_of_road_and_rail.pdf|publisher=Department of Infrastructure and Transport, Australian Government|access-date=28 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317003455/http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/transport/publications/files/history_of_road_and_rail.pdf|archive-date=17 March 2012}}</ref> There was no system wide planning for roads, with the Surveyor-General's 1788 proposed town plan dismissed as being too ostentatious; however, the arrival of [[Governor Macquarie]] in 1810 led to a planned system for roads and bridges, prior to actual settlement of areas, financed from government funds, public subscription, and tolls. By the end of his term in 1822, the colony had a network of three major roads, with the [[Great Western Highway|Great Western Road]] as the most important link, traversing the [[Blue Mountains (New South Wales)|Blue Mountains]] from [[Sydney]] to [[Bathurst, New South Wales|Bathurst]]. Similar road networks were established in the other colonies of Australia.<ref name=yearbook1974>{{cite web|title=History Of Roads In Australia|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/2e904c15091c39a5ca2569de0028b416?OpenDocument|work=1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 1974|publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]]|access-date=28 March 2013|date=25 January 1974}}</ref>

Road construction programs in the early 19th century were generally underfunded, as they were dependent on government budgets, loans, tolls and public subscription. This problem was exacerbated by the huge increase in road usage, due to the [[Australian gold rushes]]. [[Local government in Australia|Local government]] authorities were therefore established as authorities primarily responsible for funding and undertaking road construction and maintenance. The increasing amount of motorised transportation in the early 1900s lead to another major increase in traffic levels. The vehicles also required higher standard of roads.<ref name=yearbook1974 /> State road authorities were established in each state between 1913 and 1926.<ref name=history /><ref name=yearbook1974 /> These authorities managed each state's road network, with the main arterial roads controlled and maintained by the state, and other roads remaining the responsibility of local governments. Though legislation differed in each state, highways were generally established as a subset of state controlled roads, which were the most important links between major cities, towns, and regional centres.

The federal government became involved in road funding in the 1920s. The Public Works Act was passed in 1922, which distributed $500,000 to the states according to population levels, conditional on states matching funding on a "dollar for dollar basis". The funds were specifically aimed at maintenance of roads outside of metropolitan cities, and state expenditure needed federal government approval; however, the primary purpose of the act was to reduce unemployment.<ref name=history /><ref name=yearbook1974 />
The Main Roads Development Act of 1923 made $1 million available for road construction,<ref name=history /> and specific road projects were funded under the Federal Aid Roads Act of 1926.<ref name=yearbook1974 /> The 1931 Federal Aid Roads Act removed matching conditions, and were less restrictive on the way the money was used due to poor economic conditions resulting from the depression of the 1930s. Funding conditions remained at this lower level until 1959.<ref name=yearbook1974 />

The depression of the 1930s slowed the funding and development of the major road network until the onset on [[World War II]]. Supply roads leading to the north of the country were considered vital, leading to the construction of [[Barkly Highway|Barkly]], [[Stuart Highway|Stuart]], and [[Eyre Highway|Eyre]] highways. Over 960 kilometres of the Stuart Highway, from [[Tennant Creek, Northern Territory|Tennant Creek]] to [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], was upgraded from an often impassable track to an all-weather sealed highway that could cope with heavy military traffic. The Eyre Highway across the Nullarbor was formed just by grading the surface material.<ref name=history /><ref name=yearbook1974 />

The decades following the war saw substantial improvements to the network, with freeways established in cities, many major highways sealed, development of roads in northern Queensland and Western Australia under the Beef Cattle Roads Grants Acts. The interstate routes between Sydney and Melbourne were upgraded with the first four lane dual carriageway section of the [[Hume Highway]] opening in 1961, and the completed sealing of the [[Princes Highway]] between the two cities in 1966. Large mining developments in the Pilbara region of Western Australia were undertaken lead to the improvement of the [[North West Coastal Highway]] from Carnarvon to Port Hedland, a project that involved building 30 bridges in a decade.<ref name=history />

In 1974, the federal government assumed responsibility for funding the nations most important road links. Under the National Roads Act 1974, the most important roads between state and territory capitals cities were declared National Highways. The federal government fully funded construction and maintenance works undertaken by the states on these roads.<ref name=history /> The {{convert|16000|km}} of roads included in the original National Highway system varied greatly in quality. Some sections were no more than dirt tracks, whilst others were four lane dual carriageways. While {{convert|{{#expr:646+11850}}|km}} was sealed, there was also {{convert|3807|km}} of gravel roads. The National Highway was gradually improved, with the sealed proportion increased from 73 per cent in the early 1970s to 88 per cent by 1981. The sealing works were completed in 1989.<ref name=ANAO>{{cite book|title=Management of the National Highways System Program|url=http://www.anao.gov.au/~/media/Uploads/Audit%20Reports/2000%2001/2000_01_audit_report_21.pdf|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|access-date=28 March 2013|author=Australian National Audit Office|location=[[Canberra|Canberra ACT]]|date=8 February 2001|isbn=0642442509|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212165939/http://www.anao.gov.au/~/media/Uploads/Audit%20Reports/2000%2001/2000_01_audit_report_21.pdf|archive-date=12 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{rp|21–23}}

In 1988, the National Highway became redefined under the Australian Land Transport Development (ALTD) Act of 1988,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2006B00466|title='Australian Land Transport Development (ALTD) Act 1988'}}</ref> which had various amendments up to 2003. The 1988 Act also defined a category of "Road of National Importance", which were partly funded by federal government.
The Introduction of the AusLink (National Land Transport) Act in 2005 superseded the National Highway and Roads of National Importance classifications, which were replaced by the National Land Transport Network. The criteria for inclusion in the network was similar to the previous legislation, but expanded to include connections to major commercial centres, and [[Intermodal freight transport|inter-modal freight transport facilities]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2005A00093/Html/Text#param5|title=AusLink (National Land Transport) Act 2005|access-date=29 March 2013|date=8 July 2005}}</ref> All of the roads included in National Land Transport Network as of 2005 were formally defined by regulation in October 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2005L03285|title='AusLink (National Land Transport) Act National Land Transport Network Determination 2005 (No. 1)'|access-date=2012-09-23|date=2005-10-10}}</ref> Auslink has since been replaced with subsequent legislation under the federal government's Nation Building Program, which includes the National Land Transport Network.<ref name="austlii1">[http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/nbplta2009476/index.html#s4 NATION BUILDING PROGRAM (NATIONAL LAND TRANSPORT) ACT 2009<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The National Highways road routes developed under the former system are still designated as National Highways on route markers and road guidance signs. However, the new alphanumeric route numbering system introduced to New South Wales and the ACT in 2013 does not distinguish between the former National Highways and other routes. VicRoads have, as of September 2013, similarly deprecated the National Highway route marker in favour of standard routes.<ref name="VicRoads Sep 2013">{{cite web |author=VicRoads |title=Direction Signs and Route Numbering (non-Freeway) |work=Traffic Engineering Manual |volume=2 |edition=3 |date=September 2013 |url=https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/~/media/files/technicaldocumentchapters/guidelines/traffic%20engineering%20manual%20volume%202%20chapter%2010%20%20direction%20signs%20and%20route%20numbering%20nonfreewaysep%202013%20ed%203 |format=PDF |publisher=State Government of Victoria |page=34 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219075258/https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/~/media/files/technicaldocumentchapters/guidelines/traffic%20engineering%20manual%20volume%202%20chapter%2010%20%20direction%20signs%20and%20route%20numbering%20nonfreewaysep%202013%20ed%203 |archive-date=19 December 2014 |url-status=dead |quote=The use of National Highway shields for routes M/A8, A20, M31, M/A39 and M80 has been discontinued. They are now signed in the same way as other alphanumeric routes |df=dmy-all }}</ref>