Meccano Set

{{Short description|Overhead gantry in Sydney, Australia}}

{{Use Australian English|date=March 2018}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}

{{Infobox Australian road

|type = junction

|jtype = Controlled at-grade intersection

|road_name = Meccano Set

|city = {{NSWcity|Lansdowne}} / {{NSWcity|Villawood}}

|state = nsw

|image = Meccano Set Sydney October 2019.jpg

|caption =

|image_alt =

|coordinates_a = {{Coord|33|53|23|S|150|58|23|E|type:landmark_region:AU-NSW|display=inline,title}}

|alternative_location_map =

|force_national_map =

|relief = 1

|height =

|height_rnd =

|height_ref =

|spans =

|est = {{start date|1962|12||df=y}}

|Closed =

|gazetted =

|gazetted_ref =

|built_by = Department of Main Roads

|maintained = Transport for NSW

|history =

|roads = {{plainlist|

• {{AUshield|NSW|A22}} Hume Highway {{small|(A22)}}
• Henry Lawson Drive
• Woodville Road }}

|region =

|lga = City of Canterbury-Bankstown}}

The Meccano Set is an overhead gantry located above a busy controlled at-grade road intersection located at the boundary between {{NSWcity|Lansdowne}} and {{NSWcity|Villawood}} in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The intersection is a junction where the Hume Highway, Henry Lawson Drive and Woodville Road intersect.

In December 1962 a large overhead gantry with directional signs and traffic lights, was erected by the Department of Main Roads.{{cite web |url=http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/projects/south-western/hume-highway/history-begins-with-a-road.pdf |title=The Old Hume Highway – History begins with a road |work=Roads & Maritime Services |publisher=Government of New South Wales; Australian Government |date=May 2013 |page=13 }} It was quickly nicknamed the Meccano Set with reference to the children's construction toy Meccano. At that stage, the intersection was a junction for through traffic between Brisbane and Melbourne. Although this was superseded by the Cumberland Highway in August 1988, it remains an important intersection.{{cite web |url=http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/sydney-west/meccano-set/ |title=Consultation on the future of the Meccano Set |work=Roads & Maritime Services |publisher=Government of New South Wales |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020105232/http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/sydney-west/meccano-set/ |archive-date=2016-10-20 }}{{cite news |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/south-west/meccano-set-future-on-hold/news-story/b747f56e849488930b3772b04fdb761e |title=Meccano set future on hold |work=Daily Telegraph |location=Australia |author=Georgakopoulos, Chris |date=9 June 2015 |access-date=11 January 2017 }}

In early 2019, the overhead structure was replaced with a new identical pre-fabricated version and was completed in June 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/sydney-west/meccano-set/index.html|title=Replacing the Hume Highway 'Meccano Set'|website=Roads and Maritime Services|access-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518183520/https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/sydney-west/meccano-set/index.html|archive-date=18 May 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/the-express/its-showtime-for-the-newlook-old-style-meccano-set-intersection-which-sydneysiders-love/news-story/bfdddd3bdd1697d6903589ab31754c6e|title=Meccano Set traffic intersection reopens after major upgrade|publisher=Daily Telegraph|date=3 June 2019|access-date=3 June 2019}}