Pacific Highway (Australia)
{{Short description|Highway in New South Wales and Queensland}}
{{distinguish|Pacific Motorway (Brisbane–Brunswick Heads)|Pacific Motorway (Sydney–Newcastle)}}
{{for|the highway in the US|Pacific Coast Highway (United States)}}
{{Copy edit|date=April 2024}}
{{Use Australian English|date=May 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox Australian road
| type = highway
| state = nsw
| state2 =
| road_name = Pacific Highway
| route_image =
| image = Pacific Highway from Wattley Hill Road - panoramio - Rob Freijs.jpg
|caption = View of the Pacific Highway from Wattley Hill Road, New South Wales (c. 2007)
| location = Location Pacific Hwy.svg
| length = 779
| gazetted = August 1928 {{small|(NSW, as Main Road 10)}}{{cite news |title=Main Roads Act, 1924–1927 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/219952359 |work=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales |issue=110 |publisher=National Library of Australia |date=17 August 1928 |pages=3814–20 |access-date=1 August 2022 |archive-date=3 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220803050207/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/219952359 |url-status=live }}
December 1930 {{small|(QLD)}}{{cite news |title=From Bulldust to Beef Roads and Beyond: Main Roads – The first 50 years |url=http://www.mainroads.qld.gov.au/MRWEB/Prod/Content.nsf/15aedf5de67c9f224a256a160009f2f0/b9c023134a5cdae44a256a47000c660402ec.html |work=Queensland Department of Main Roads (QMR) |publisher=National Library of Australia |date=2002 |pages=65 |access-date=27 October 2022 |archive-date=20 September 2007 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070920232039/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/76723/20070918-1656/www.mainroads.qld.gov.au/MRWEB/Prod/Content.nsf/15aedf5de67c9f224a256a160009f2f0/b9c023134a5cdae44a256a47000c660402ec.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
| split = yes
| section1 = {{NSWcity|Brunswick Heads}} to {{NSWcity|Warabrook}}
| direction_a1 = North
| direction_b1 = South
| end_a1 = {{AUshield|NSW|M1}} Pacific Motorway
| end_b1 = Maitland Road
| exits1 =
- {{AUshield|NSW|B60}} Bruxner Highway
- {{AUshield|NSW|B76}} Big River Way
- {{AUshield|NSW|B91}} Big River Way
- {{AUshield|NSW|B78}} Waterfall Way
- {{AUshield|NSW|B56}} Oxley Highway
- {{AUshield|NSW|A43}} New England Highway
- {{AUshield|NSW|A37}} Newcastle Inner City Bypass
- {{AUshield|NSW|A43}} Industrial Drive
| section2 = {{NSWcity|Wickham}} to Tuggerah,
then Ourimbah to {{NSWcity|Wyoming}}
| direction_a2 = Northeast
| direction_b2 = Southwest
| end_a2 = {{AUshield|NSW|A43}} Stewart Avenue
| end_b2 = Mann Street
| exits2 =
- {{AUshield|NSW|A37}} Newcastle Inner City Bypass
- {{AUshield|NSW|A49}} Central Coast Highway
- {{AUshield|NSW|A43}} Motorway Link
| section3 = Kariong to {{NSWcity|North Sydney}}
| direction_a3 = North
| direction_b3 = South
| end_a3 = {{AUshield|NSW|B83}} Wisemans Ferry Road
| end_b3 = {{AUshield|NSW|M1}} Warringah Freeway
| exits3 =
- {{AUshield|NSW|A28}} Cumberland Highway
- {{AUshield|NSW|M1}} Pacific Motorway
- {{AUshield|NSW|A3}} Mona Vale Road
- {{AUshield|NSW|A3}} Ryde Road
- {{AUshield|NSW|M1}} Gore Hill Freeway
- {{AUshield|NSW|M2}} Lane Cove Tunnel
| through = {{NSWcity|Ballina|Central Coast|Coffs Harbour|Kempsey}}, {{NSWcity|Port Macquarie|Newcastle|Taree|Sydney}}
{{QLDcity|Brisbane|Gold Coast}}
| route =
- {{AUshield|NSW|M1}} M1 {{small|(Brunswick Heads–Glenugie)}}
- {{AUshield|NSW|A1}} A1 {{small|(Glenugie–Raleigh)}}
- {{AUshield|NSW|M1}} M1 {{small|(Raleigh–Port Macquarie)}}
- {{AUshield|NSW|A1}} A1 {{small|(Port Macquarie–Hexham)}}
- {{AUshield|NSW|A43}} A43 {{small|(Hexham–Mayfield West, Newcastle West–Doyalson)}}
- {{AUshield|NSW|B83}} B83 {{small|(Kariong–Wahroonga)}}
- {{AUshield|NSW|A1}} A1 {{small|(Wahroonga–Artarmon)}}
- Concurrency:
- {{AUshield|NSW|A38}} A38 {{small|(Roseville–Chatswood)}}
| former = See Former route numbers
| show_links = yes
}}
Pacific Highway is a national highway and major transport route of {{convert|790|km|mi}} along the east coast of Australia from Sydney to Brisbane. It is an integral part of Highway 1 which circumnavigates the Australian continent. At its inception, the highway was a single carriageway between Sydney and Brisbane. In Australian culture and as a tourist drive, it remains so.{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Roff M. |title=Australia |publisher=National geographic |year=2019 |isbn=9788854419469 |edition=6th |language=EN |chapter=Pacific Highway drive}} Over time, segments of the highway have been relegated from the route and, or, renamed and between 1996 and 2020, the highway was upgraded to the standards of a controlled-access highway (motorway).{{Cite web |last=NSW |first=Transport for |date=2024-09-17 |title=Pacific Highway upgrade {{!}} NSW Government |url=https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/projects/pacific-highway-upgrade |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=www.nsw.gov.au |language=en-AU}}
Location
{{Tall image|PacificHwy-StripMap.png|270|450|
A map of Pacific Highway between {{NSWcity|Nambucca Heads}} to its northern terminus, northwest of {{NSWcity|Byron Bay}}. Thereafter, Pacific Motorway continues north to Brisbane.
KEY
{{legend|#000000|Pacific Hwy}}
{{legend|#666666|New England Hwy}}
{{legend|#ED1C24|Other major highways}}
{{legend|#008E3C|Other freeways/motorways/expressways}}
|right}}
Pacific Highway can be broken into the following sections:
- Brisbane to New South Wales / Queensland border: completely replaced by Pacific Motorway
- New South Wales / Queensland border to Brunswick Heads: upgraded to motorway standard as part of the 1996 Upgrade Masterplan and renamed Pacific Motorway in 2013
- Brunswick Heads to Hexham: conversion to dual carriageway or freeway standards completed in 2020, as part of the 1996 Upgrade Masterplan.
- Hexham to Wahroonga: replaced by Pacific Motorway (also known as Sydney–Newcastle Freeway and formerly the F3 Freeway) as the national route between Wahroonga and Beresfield in sections between 1965 and 1993.
- Wahroonga to Sydney CBD: divided metropolitan road, formerly a Metroad route; the route via M2 (Lane Cove Tunnel and M2 Hills Motorway) and NorthConnex as a motorway alternative.
= Gazette definition =
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.{{cite web |date=April 2017 |title=Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads |url=https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/business-industry/partners-suppliers/lgr/documents/classified-roads-schedule.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018082636/https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/business-industry/partners-suppliers/lgr/documents/classified-roads-schedule.pdf |archive-date=18 October 2018 |access-date=31 January 2018 |publisher=Roads and Maritime Services |pages=2–4}} Since February 2013, the freeway section of the highway north of Brunswick Heads is also concurrently gazetted and is named and signposted Pacific Motorway. South of here, the section between Brunswick Heads and Bruxner Highway near Ballina is also signposted Pacific Motorway, however, it is not declared as so in the gazette as of February 2019, therefore it remains as only Pacific Highway in the gazette. Confusingly, 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 and Byron Bay, all in New South Wales; and Gold Coast in Queensland.
Major river crossings include the Hawkesbury, Hunter, Myall (just to the east of Bulahdelah), Manning (south of Coopernook), Hastings (west of Port Macquarie), Macleay (just to the east of Frederickton), Nambucca (near Macksville), Bellinger (near Raleigh), Clarence (via the Harwood Bridge near Maclean), Richmond (at Ballina), Brunswick, and Tweed rivers.
=Sydney to Kariong=
From Sydney, Pacific Highway starts as the continuation of Bradfield Highway at the northern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, immediately north of the Sydney central business district, and is the main route as far as the suburb of Wahroonga. From the Harbour Bridge to Gore Hill Freeway at Artarmon, no route number has been assigned. From Gore Hill Freeway to Wahroonga, the Pacific Highway is designated route A1. When the Warringah Freeway was built in the late 1960s, southbound traffic was diverted through North Sydney via Mount Street. In October 1985 it was again diverted via Berry Street.North Sydney Traffic Management Scheme Daily Telegraph 24 September 1985 page 14
From Wahroonga, Pacific Highway is mostly parallel to the freeway until Kariong (at which point it diverts into the Central Coast through Gosford and Wyong). The section of the highway from Cowan to Kariong follows a scenic winding route with varying speed limits of either {{convert|60|or|70|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}.
=Kariong to Hexham=
The section of what was formerly Pacific Highway from Wiseman's Ferry Road junction at Kariong, through to Pacific Highway exit at Gosford (adjacent to Brian McGowan Bridge), has been redeclared as Central Coast Highway with route number A49. The highway then continues north without a route number through the Central Coast suburbs of Ourimbah and Wyong as a regional route, before meeting with a spur of Pacific Motorway near Doyalson numbered as route A43. At this point Pacific Highway is signed route A43 for most of its length, and is a four-six lane regional highway passing Lake Macquarie and on through the suburbs of the cities of Lake Macquarie and Newcastle before rejoining route A1 at Hexham.
From Bennetts Green to Sandgate it is supplemented by the Newcastle Inner City Bypass, through New Lambton and Jesmond. Two sections of the bypass, Bennetts Green-Rankin Park and Jesmond-Sandgate, are of motorway standard.
=North of Hexham=
File:Chindrea-yelgen freeway.JPG.]]
From Hexham, the Pacific Highway passes through the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers region to Brunswick Heads where it becomes the Pacific Motorway through to Brisbane.
=Former sections =
Former sections of Pacific Highway were created when the sections were removed from the gazette definition, or were bypassed by new sections of Pacific Highway. However, as mentioned, some former sections of Pacific Highway that were removed from gazette definition continue to be referred and signposted as Pacific Highway.
==Removed from gazette definition==
Between Sydney and Hexham or Newcastle, some sections of the highway were re-gazetted as other roads and/or not gazetted as part of Pacific Highway anymore. However, {{As of|2019|1|lc=yes}} many of these are still referred to and signposted as Pacific Highway.
The first two sections of the highway to be removed from the gazette was the Calga to Kariong section and a section in Gosford between Racecourse Road/Etna Street and Brian McGowan Bridge in November 1996.{{cite news |title=Roads Act |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/231976235 |work=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales |issue=134 |publisher=National Library of Australia |date=22 November 1996 |pages=7657–62 |access-date=13 October 2022 |archive-date=13 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013033611/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/231976235 |url-status=live }} The remaining section within Gosford, between Kariong and Brian McGowan Bridge, was re-gazetted and renamed Central Coast Highway in August 2006.{{cite web|url=http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/constructionmaintenance/majorconstructionprojectsregional/centralcoast/kariong-doyalson.html|title=Kariong to Doyalson|publisher=Roads & Traffic Authority|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004224217/http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/constructionmaintenance/majorconstructionprojectsregional/centralcoast/kariong-doyalson.html|archive-date=4 October 2006|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/constructionmaintenance/downloads/kariong-doyalson-map.pdf|title=Central Coast Highway – Kariong to Doyalson|publisher=Roads & Traffic Authority|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070905032713/http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/constructionmaintenance/downloads/kariong-doyalson-map.pdf|archive-date=5 September 2007|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.gazette.nsw.gov.au/pdfs/2006/11th_August.pdf|title=Government Gazette of NSW 11 August 2006 Page 46|publisher=NSW Government|access-date=6 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419204601/http://www.gazette.nsw.gov.au/pdfs/2006/11th_August.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2013|url-status=dead}} These changes resulted in the previously undivided section between Ourimbah and Sydney to be split into two: Kariong to Sydney, and Ourimbah to Wyoming.
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.{{cite web|url=https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gaz_Gazette%20Split%202010_2010-56.pdf|title=Government Gazette of NSW 23 April 2010 Page 55|publisher=NSW Government|access-date=31 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180611153744/https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gaz_Gazette%20Split%202010_2010-56.pdf|archive-date=11 June 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/business-industry/partners-suppliers/lgr/documents/classification-gazettals/1004-hunter-region-reclassification-maps.pdf|title=Maps – Hunter Region Gazettal maps?publisher=NSW Roads & Maritime Services|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626143419/http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/business-industry/partners-suppliers/lgr/documents/classification-gazettals/1004-hunter-region-reclassification-maps.pdf|archive-date=26 June 2017|url-status=live}} {{As of|2019|1}}, 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 of Gold Coast Highway.
==Bypassed==
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:
- the former {{convert|151|km}} section Twelve Mile Creek and Taree through Stroud and Gloucester, with the new route over mostly dirt roads gazetted in 1952.{{cite news |title=Main Roads Act, 1924–1951 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/220073187 |work=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales |issue=167 |publisher=National Library of Australia |date=22 August 1952 |pages=3044 |access-date=7 December 2022 |archive-date=19 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919080819/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/219917633 |url-status=live }} The affected roads were upgraded over a number of years, including the construction of major bridges to replace the low-level crossing at Nabiac and the ferry at Karuah. The upgrading of the northern section was completed first and through traffic ran temporarily over the road between Bulahdelah and Booral. The southern part from Bulahdelah to Twelve Mile Creek via Karuah was completed about 1960.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article189932729 |title=NRMA says road clear |newspaper=The Biz |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=28 January 1959 |access-date=8 December 2022 |page=18 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=5 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205041251/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/189932729 |url-status=live }} The old section was later renamed Bucketts Way.
- the former {{convert|39|km}} section through Kempsey and Frederickton which included the site of the Kempsey bus crash. This section was replaced by a new freeway bypass and bridge over the Macleay River in 2013 and 2016, and was renamed the Macleay Valley Way.{{cite web |url=https://www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au/council/meetings/2012/2012-08-21/pubs/2012-08-21-o-is-appb.pdf |title=Renaming of the Pacific Highway following completion of the Kempsey Bypass |date=21 August 2012 |access-date=23 April 2017 |publisher=Kempsey Shire Council |archive-date=19 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419122304/https://kempsey.nsw.gov.au/council/meetings/2012/2012-08-21/pubs/2012-08-21-o-is-appb.pdf |url-status=live }}
- the former {{convert|46|km}} between Eungai Creek and Raleigh via Macksville and Nambucca Way. This section was bypassed in 2016 and 2018 and was renamed Giinagay Way
- the former {{convert|55|km}} section between Glenugie and Maclean via Grafton which included the site of the Grafton bus crash. This section was replaced by a new alignment of the highway in 2020 and was renamed Big River Way.
In May 2009, the portion of the Tugun 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 {{convert|1|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} older bypassed alignment along Tweed Heads Bypass (opened 1992) towards the border at Coolangatta was gazetted as Gold Coast Highway instead, extending the already existing Gold Coast Highway in Queensland, into New South Wales.{{cite web|url=https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gaz_Gazette%20Split%202009_2009-66.pdf|title=Government Gazette of NSW 1 May 2009 Page 35|publisher=NSW Government|access-date=31 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180611194405/https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gaz_Gazette%20Split%202009_2009-66.pdf|archive-date=11 June 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/Highways/goldcoast/goldcoasthwy.htm|title=Gold Coast Highway – New South Wales section: Tweed Heads West to Bilinga|publisher=Ozroads|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426124620/http://ozroads.com.au/NSW/Highways/goldcoast/goldcoasthwy.htm|archive-date=26 April 2018|url-status=live}} The Tugun Bypass was handed over to the NSW government in June 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.tweeddailynews.com.au/news/bypass-handed-back-to-nsw/3432320/|title=Bypass handed back to NSW|publisher=Tweed Daily News|date=4 June 2018|access-date=31 January 2019|archive-date=1 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013254/https://www.tweeddailynews.com.au/news/bypass-handed-back-to-nsw/3432320/|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/Projects/T/Tugun%20Currumbin%20Road%20Intersection/goldcoasthighwaysoutherncorridornewsletterseptember2009.pdf|title=Gold Coast Highway Southern Corridor – Newsletter|publisher=Department of Transport and Main Roads|date=September 2009|access-date=19 February 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/-/media/Projects/T/Tugun-Bypass-project/PDF-main/Tugun_Bypass_map.pdf?la=en|title=Tugun Bypass Layouy|website=Department of Transport and Main Roads|access-date=20 February 2019|archive-date=5 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205041245/https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/-/media/Projects/T/Tugun-Bypass-project/PDF-main/Tugun_Bypass_map.pdf?la=en|url-status=live}}
History
Initially, the primary mode of transport connecting the coastal areas between Sydney and Brisbane was by boat. However, a continuous inland route from Newcastle to Brisbane via the Northern 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 of Taree). The last of the many ferries across the coastal rivers was not superseded by a bridge until 1966 (the Harwood Bridge across the south channel of the Clarence 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 between Hornsby 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 of Mooney Mooney Creek and up to the ridge at Kariong above Gosford was also required. This new Sydney–Newcastle route via Calga and Gosford was some {{convert|80|km|mi}} shorter than the previous route via Parramatta, McGraths Hill, Maroota, Wisemans Ferry, Wollombi and Cessnock. At first, the old Peats Ferry was reinstated to cross the Hawkesbury River, with construction of the bridge not beginning until 1938, due to the Great Depression. Due to the onset of the Second World War, the Peats Ferry Bridge was not completed until May 1945.
File:Shark Creek Bridge NSW.jpg, formerly part of Pacific Highway]]
The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924[http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/num_act/mra1924n24133/ State of New South Wales, 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] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811000905/http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/num_act/mra1924n24133/ |date=11 August 2022 }} 10 November 1924 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 the Department of Main Roads, and eventually Transport 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 (still under construction), and North 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, on the same day, 8 August 1928. With the passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929[https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/pdf/asmade/act-1929-15 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.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812065622/https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/pdf/asmade/act-1929-15 |date=12 August 2022 }} 8 April 1929 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 the Main South Coast Road was declared. It was declared as the Pacific Highway in December 1930, although the final part of the highway (the Logan River bridge) wasn't opened until July of the next year. 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 renamed Pacific Highway to match Queensland's declaration on 26 May 1931;{{cite news |title=Main Roads Act, 1924–1929 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/219917633 |work=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales |issue=65 |publisher=National Library of Australia |date=29 May 1931 |pages=1875 |access-date=19 September 2022 |archive-date=19 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919080819/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/219917633 |url-status=live }} The Great Northern Highway was truncated to meet the Pacific Highway at Hexham (and was later renamed to New England Highway in 1933{{cite news |title=New England Highway |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article234739010 |access-date=21 January 2019 |work=Kyogle Examiner |publisher=National Library of Australia |date=14 February 1933 |pages=2 |archive-date=5 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205041258/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/234739010 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Main Roads Act, 1924–1931 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/223046130 |work=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales |issue=47 |publisher=National Library of Australia |date=24 March 1933 |pages=1093 |access-date=19 September 2022 |archive-date=19 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919082055/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/223046130 |url-status=live }}).
Until the 1990s most road freight between Sydney and Brisbane passed along the New 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.
=1989 Grafton and Kempsey bus crashes=
Two major coach accidents on Pacific Highway in 1989 near Grafton (in which 21 people died) and at Clybucca near Kempsey (in which 35 people died) resulted in a public outcry over the poor quality of the road and its high fatality rate.{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/5f584b237987507aca256d09008051f3/96a63a38211b5b58ca256dfd000947cb!OpenDocument|title=Pacific Highway Upgrade|publisher=Parliament of New South Wales|date=3 December 2003|access-date=15 August 2006|archive-date=29 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083647/http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/5f584b237987507aca256d09008051f3/96a63a38211b5b58ca256dfd000947cb!OpenDocument|url-status=live}} Pacific Highway was never part of the federally funded system of National Highways. This appears to be because when the federal government funding of the 'national highway' system began in 1974, the longer New England Highway was chosen rather than Pacific Highway as the Sydney–Brisbane link, due to its easier topography and consequent lower upgrade costs.
=1990s=
In 1994, the Roads and Traffic Authority considered the environmental impact statement of a proposal for a toll road between Coolongolook and Possum Brush.{{Cite web|url=https://www.opengov.nsw.gov.au/publications/17306|title=Proposed toll road : Coolongolook to Possum Brush : environmental impact statement : volume 1|website=OpenGov NSW|access-date=4 July 2019|archive-date=4 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704064343/https://www.opengov.nsw.gov.au/publications/17306|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.opengov.nsw.gov.au/publications/17304|title=Proposed toll road : Coolongolook to Possum Brush : environmental impact statement : volume 2|website=OpenGov NSW|access-date=4 July 2019|archive-date=4 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704064345/https://www.opengov.nsw.gov.au/publications/17304|url-status=live}} The proposal was from Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation Ltd and Travers Morgan Pty Ltd.
Until December 1997, a short {{convert|3.5|km|mi|adj=on}} section of the highway between Ourimbah and Kangy Angy was used by Sydney–Newcastle Freeway traffic as there was no freeway alternative.{{cite web|url=https://media.opengov.nsw.gov.au/pairtree_root/6c/54/da/d1/fe/7a/42/d6/8b/23/d6/05/d3/88/19/26/obj/169922.pdf|title=F3 Sydney – Newcastle Freeway : Ourimbah Creek Road to Kangy Angy Creek : review of environmental factors : volume 2|website=OpenGov NSW|publisher=Roads and Traffic Authority|page=46,115|date=1994|access-date=8 January 2021|archive-date=8 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108025519/https://media.opengov.nsw.gov.au/pairtree_root/6c/54/da/d1/fe/7a/42/d6/8b/23/d6/05/d3/88/19/26/obj/169922.pdf|url-status=live}} This section of Pacific Highway was designated as part of National Route 1 and subsequently National Highway 1. It was also upgraded to dual carriageway in the early 1970s.{{cite web|url=https://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/Freeways/F3/ourimbah-kangy.htm|title=National Highway 1 – Former Alignment from Ourimbah Creek Rd to Kangy Angy|website=Ozroads|access-date=8 January 2021|archive-date=10 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200310080857/http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/Freeways/F3/ourimbah-kangy.htm|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/Freeways/F3/ConstructionInfo.htm|title=SYDNEY-NEWCASTLE FWY: Construction Information|website=Ozroads|access-date=8 January 2021|archive-date=11 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111080937/https://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/Freeways/F3/ConstructionInfo.htm|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://media.opengov.nsw.gov.au/pairtree_root/7b/98/f7/23/ae/92/40/c4/a5/2a/6e/97/f4/69/8f/75/obj/RTA_1997_98.pdf|title=Annual Report 1998|website=OpenGov NSW|publisher=Roads and Traffic Authority|page=86|date=30 October 1998|access-date=8 January 2021|archive-date=8 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108025505/https://media.opengov.nsw.gov.au/pairtree_root/7b/98/f7/23/ae/92/40/c4/a5/2a/6e/97/f4/69/8f/75/obj/RTA_1997_98.pdf|url-status=live}} 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 {{convert|60|or|70|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}. This section was damaged quite severely during severe weather in June 2007. Five people died when a bridge over Piles Creek collapsed and the entire section was closed due to subsidence {{convert|2|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} further south. The road was reopened in 2009 when the Holt-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 of Pacific Motorway in February 2013.{{cite web |url=http://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/Government-Gazette-1-February-2013.pdf |title=Government Gazette of the state of New South Wales |page=8 (236) |date=1 February 2013 |access-date=6 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428011125/http://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/Government-Gazette-1-February-2013.pdf |archive-date=28 April 2013 |url-status=dead }}
The passing of the Roads Act of 1993[https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1993-033 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.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811000905/http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/num_act/mra1924n24133/ |date=11 August 2022 }} 10 November 1924 through the Parliament 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.{{cite web |url=https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/business-industry/partners-suppliers/lgr/documents/classified-roads-schedule.pdf |title=Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads |author=Transport for NSW |date=August 2022 |publisher=Government of New South Wales |access-date=1 August 2022 |archive-date=25 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220825104657/https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/business-industry/partners-suppliers/lgr/documents/classified-roads-schedule.pdf |url-status=live }}
=2000s and beyond=
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,{{cite web|url=http://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/Government-Gazette-10-May-2013.pdf|title=New South Wales Government Gazette No. 57 |publisher=Parliament of New South Wales|date=10 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232238/http://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/Government-Gazette-1-February-2013.pdf|archive-date=3 March 2016}} 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).{{cite web |url=http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/projects/key-build-programs/alpha-numeric/nsw-factsheet.pdf |title=Road number and name changes in NSW |work=Roads & Maritime Services |publisher=Government of New South Wales |date=2012 |access-date=7 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325194425/http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/projects/key-build-programs/alpha-numeric/nsw-factsheet.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}
=1996 upgrade masterplan=
==Four lane dual carriageway standard==
File:20091201 - Ballina Bypass - Sign.JPG
The highway was heavily used by interstate traffic and its upgrade was beyond the resources of the New South Wales government alone.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} 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 1996/97 financial year.
As part of a joint New South Wales and federal funding arrangement and upgrade masterplan, single carriageway sections from Tweed Heads to Hexham were progressively converted to freeway or dual 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:{{cite web|url=https://www.pacifichighway.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/media/documents/2019/pacific-highway-achievement-report-july-august-2019.pdf|title=Pacific Highway upgrade: Achievement report – July/August 2019|date=2019|publisher=Roads and Maritime Services|access-date=30 October 2019|archive-date=29 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029131939/https://www.pacifichighway.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/media/documents/2019/pacific-highway-achievement-report-july-august-2019.pdf|url-status=live}}
- Priority 1: Tweed Heads to Ballina, Port Macquarie to Hexham, Woolgoolga to Raleigh
- Priority 2: Raleigh to Port Macquarie
- Priority 3: Ballina to Woolgoolga
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|date=May 2020}}.
The four-lane dual carriageway upgrade of the highway was completed in December 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.nambuccaguardian.com.au/story/7051149/pacific-highway-upgrade-hits-newest-milestone-just-in-time-for-christmas/|title=Pacific Highway upgrade hits newest milestone just in time for Christmas|publisher=Nambucca Guardian|date=11 December 2020|access-date=14 December 2020|archive-date=17 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217100744/https://www.nambuccaguardian.com.au/story/7051149/pacific-highway-upgrade-hits-newest-milestone-just-in-time-for-christmas/|url-status=live}} Continuous dual carriageway, much of it freeway standard, now extends from {{NSWcity|Mayfield West}} in Newcastle to the Queensland border. As of completion, about {{AUD}}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.{{cite web|url=https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/about/news-events/news/ministerial/2020/201211-historic-pacific-highway-upgrade-hits-the-finish-line.html|title=Historic Pacific Highway upgrade hits the finish line|publisher=Transport for NSW – Roads and Maritime|date=11 December 2020|access-date=17 December 2020|archive-date=19 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519224834/https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/about/news-events/news/ministerial/2020/201211-historic-pacific-highway-upgrade-hits-the-finish-line.html|url-status=live}}
==Coffs Harbour Bypass==
The Coffs Harbour Bypass is a {{convert|14|km|adj=on}} realignment of Pacific Highway that will bypass the city of Coffs Harbour, including up to 12 sets of traffic lights.{{cite web|url=https://caportal.com.au/rms/coffs/overview|title=Project need and objectives|website=Coffs Harbour Bypass Web Portal|access-date=22 March 2021|archive-date=18 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418091013/https://caportal.com.au/rms/coffs/overview|url-status=live}} It is being built as a four-lane motorway with three tunnels.{{cite web|url=https://ca-v2.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/rms/coffs/RMS9226_CoffsHarbour_CU_8pp_v21_FILM_tagged.pdf|title=Coffs Harbour bypass – Project update – Design refinements|website=Coffs Harbour Bypass Web Portal|publisher=Roads and Maritime Services|date=November 2019|access-date=22 March 2021|archive-date=7 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207210556/https://ca-v2.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/rms/coffs/RMS9226_CoffsHarbour_CU_8pp_v21_FILM_tagged.pdf|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/10461|title=Coffs Harbour Bypass|publisher=Major Projects – Department of Planning, Industry and Environment|access-date=27 November 2020|archive-date=2 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202085214/https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/10461|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/about/news-events/news/ministerial/2020/201208-coffs-bypass-green-light-to-drive-local-jobs-economy.html|title=Coffs Harbour bypass planning approval|publisher=Transport for NSW – Roads and Maritime|date=8 December 2020|access-date=14 December 2020|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413011744/https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/about/news-events/news/ministerial/2020/201208-coffs-bypass-green-light-to-drive-local-jobs-economy.html|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite press release|url=https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/c-king/media-release/full-steam-ahead-coffs-harbour-bypass|title=Full steam ahead on Coffs Harbour bypass|publisher=Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government|date=7 June 2023|access-date=28 August 2024|archive-date=4 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004154902/https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/c-king/media-release/full-steam-ahead-coffs-harbour-bypass|url-status=live}}
==Motorway standard upgrade==
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:{{cite web|url=https://www.pacifichighway.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/media/documents/2020/Woolgoolga%20to%20Ballina%20upgrade%20UPDATE%20Local%20access%20Project%20update%20December%202020_2.pdf|title=Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade – Local access – Project update|publisher=Transport for NSW|website=Pacific Highway Upgrade|date=7 December 2020|access-date=9 December 2020|archive-date=9 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209005717/https://www.pacifichighway.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/media/documents/2020/Woolgoolga%20to%20Ballina%20upgrade%20UPDATE%20Local%20access%20Project%20update%20December%202020_2.pdf|url-status=live}}
- Thrumster to Eungai Rail
- Congarinni to Boambee
- Woolgoolga to Halfway Creek
- Glenugie to Harwood
- Woodburn to Pimlico
Following the dual carriageway upgrade, the only remaining project of the Pacific Highway Upgrade is the Coffs Harbour Bypass.{{cite web|url=https://www.pacifichighway.nsw.gov.au/coffsharbourbypass|title=Coffs Harbour Bypass|website=Pacific Highway Upgrade|date=22 August 2018 |publisher=Transport for NSW|access-date=27 May 2020|archive-date=27 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527002143/https://www.pacifichighway.nsw.gov.au/coffsharbourbypass|url-status=live}} Additionally, the M1 to Raymond Terrace project, which is classified as a separate project, will be a motorway extending and connecting the Pacific Motorway (Sydney to Newcastle section) to the upgraded Pacific Highway at Raymond Terrace.{{cite web|url=https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/raymond-terrace-upgrade/index.html|title=M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace|website=Transport for NSW – Roads and Maritime|access-date=27 May 2020|archive-date=18 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418033756/https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/raymond-terrace-upgrade/index.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/01documents/raymond-terrace/m1-raymond-terrace-upgrade-project-update-07-2021.pdf|title=M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace Project update – Environmental Impact Statement|publisher=Transport for NSW|date=July 2021|access-date=30 August 2021|archive-date=30 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830002339/https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/01documents/raymond-terrace/m1-raymond-terrace-upgrade-project-update-07-2021.pdf|url-status=dead}} Construction formally commenced in January 2024 and is expected to be completed by 2028.{{cite press release|url=https://www.pm.gov.au/media/construction-underway-m1-pacific-motorway-extension-raymond-terrace|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401155303/https://www.pm.gov.au/media/construction-underway-m1-pacific-motorway-extension-raymond-terrace|archive-date=1 April 2024|url-status=live|title=Construction underway on M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace|publisher=Prime Minister of Australia|date=16 January 2024|access-date=14 September 2024}}
== Projects ==
== Funding issues ==
In 2007 mounting pressure was placed on the federal government to provide additional funding for the highway.{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}} 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 the 2007 federal election, then opposition leader Kevin Rudd pledged $1.5 billion in funding.{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/06/2082919.htm?section=justin|title=Rudd pledges $1.5b for Pacific Hwy upgrade|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=6 November 2007|access-date=27 November 2007|archive-date=19 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519224835/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-11-06/rudd-pledges-15b-for-pacific-hwy-upgrade/717142|url-status=dead}} As part of AusLink 2 (Nation Building Program), the federal government announced in its 2009 federal budget that $3.1 billion would be spent on the highway up until 2014(12 May 2009). [http://www.minister.infrastructure.gov.au/aa/releases/2009/May/budget-infra_02-2009.aspx Federal Road Investment Program Steps Up A Gear] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326145611/http://www.minister.infrastructure.gov.au/aa/releases/2009/May/budget-infra_02-2009.aspx |date=26 March 2012 }}. Media Release. Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. at which time just 63% of the highway would be duplicated.{{cite web|title=Nation Building program Projects Pacific Highway|url=http://www.nationbuildingprogram.gov.au/projects/ProjectDetails.aspx?Project_id=NSW22|work=Australian Government|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706121721/http://www.nationbuildingprogram.gov.au/projects/ProjectDetails.aspx?Project_id=NSW22|archive-date=6 July 2011|url-status=live|access-date=29 September 2009}} The NSW government will spend just $500 million over that same period, with $300 million cut as a result of the 2008 mini budget.{{cite web|url=http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/constructionmaintenance/majorconstructionprojectsregional/pacifichighwayupgrade/index.html?clid=pachwy|title=Pacific Highway upgrade|publisher=NSW Roads & Traffic Authority|date=19 October 2009|access-date=20 October 2009|archive-date=18 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818194527/http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/constructionmaintenance/majorconstructionprojectsregional/pacifichighwayupgrade/index.html?clid=pachwy|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Pacific Highway to hell|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/pacific-highway-to-hell-20090307-8rvr.html|work=Sydney Morning Herald|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090310002011/http://www.smh.com.au/national/pacific-highway-to-hell-20090307-8rvr.html|archive-date=10 March 2009|url-status=live|access-date=29 September 2009 | first=Josh | last=Gordon | date=8 March 2009}}
From time to time, there are proposals in the media for the private sector to build a fully controlled-access high-speed tollway between Newcastle and the Queensland border, possibly using the BOT system of infrastructure provision. Nothing eventuated from these proposals.{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21980620-421,00.html?from=public_rss|title=Drivers hit with more toll roads|publisher=News.com.au|date=28 June 2007|first=Steve|last=Lewis|access-date=11 July 2007|archive-date=22 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222085001/http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21980620-421,00.html?from=public_rss|url-status=live}}
=Other upgrades=
Other sections of Pacific Highway (between Hexham and Sydney) have been upgraded or proposed to be upgraded:
- The section of Pacific Highway between Ourimbah Street and Parsons Road at {{NSWcity|Lisarow}} is being duplicated {{as of|2021|3|lc=y}}, including a rail bridge over the Sydney to Newcastle rail line.{{cite web|url=https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/about/news-events/news/ministerial/2021/210315-new-rail-bridge-for-pacific-highway-at-lisarow.html|title=New rail bridge for Pacific Highway at Lisarow|publisher=Transport for NSW – Roads and Maritime|date=15 March 2021|access-date=22 March 2021|archive-date=22 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322010413/https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/about/news-events/news/ministerial/2021/210315-new-rail-bridge-for-pacific-highway-at-lisarow.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/pacific-highway/ourimbah-street-parsons-road-upgrade/index.html|title=Pacific Highway duplication at Lisarow|website=Transport for NSW – Roads and Maritime|access-date=22 March 2021|archive-date=21 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321101039/https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/pacific-highway/ourimbah-street-parsons-road-upgrade/index.html|url-status=live}}
- Since December 2020, the {{convert|6|km|mi|adj=on}} section (Maitland Road) between Newcastle Inner City Bypass and New England Highway is being proposed to be widened from four lanes to six lanes.{{cite web|url=https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/about/news-events/news/ministerial/2020/201202-have-your-say-on-the-pacific-hwy-at-hexham.html|title=Have your say on the Pacific Hwy at Hexham|publisher=Transport for NSW – Roads and Maritime|date=2 December 2020|access-date=8 December 2020|archive-date=11 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411103238/https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/about/news-events/news/ministerial/2020/201202-have-your-say-on-the-pacific-hwy-at-hexham.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/hexham/index.html|title=Pacific Highway improvements at Hexham (Hexham Straight)|website=Transport for NSW – Roads and Maritime|access-date=8 December 2020|archive-date=1 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201054510/https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/hexham/index.html|url-status=live}}
Former route numbers
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. Former road routes of Pacific Highway have included:[http://www.ozroads.com.au/NationalSystem/hwy1-nsw.htm Highway One – NSW Section] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420060656/http://www.ozroads.com.au/NationalSystem/hwy1-nsw.htm |date=20 April 2013 }}, Ozroads Website. Retrieved on 15 May 2013{{Self-published source|date=October 2013}}
- {{AUshield|NR|1}} National Route 1 (1955–2013): {{NSWcity|Tweed Heads}}–{{NSWcity|Hexham}}
- {{AUshield|NR|1}} National Route 1 (1955–1988) / {{AUshield|S|111}} State Route 111 (1988–2013):[http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/RouteNumbering/State%20Routes/111/sr111.htm NSW State Route 111] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425192721/http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/RouteNumbering/State%20Routes/111/sr111.htm |date=25 April 2013 }}, Ozroads, Retrieved on 1 June 2013.{{Self-published source|date=October 2013}} {{NSWcity|Hexham}}–{{NSWcity|Doyalson}}
- {{AUshield|NR|1}} National Route 1 (1955–1979) / {{AUshield|S|83}} State Route 83 (1979–2013):[http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/RouteNumbering/State%20Routes/83/sr83.htm NSW State Route 83] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210221341/http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/RouteNumbering/State%20Routes/83/sr83.htm |date=10 December 2013 }}, Ozroads, Retrieved on 1 June 2013.{{Self-published source|date=October 2013}} {{NSWcity|Doyalson}}–{{NSWcity|Wahroonga}}
- {{AUshield|NR|1}} National Route 1 (1955–1993) / {{AUshield|Met|1}} Metroad 1 (1993–2013):[http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/RouteNumbering/Metroads/1/metroad1.htm Metroad 1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421122906/http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/RouteNumbering/Metroads/1/metroad1.htm |date=21 April 2013 }}, Ozroads, Retrieved on 1 June 2013.{{Self-published source|date=October 2013}} {{NSWcity|Wahroonga}}–{{NSWcity|Artarmon}}
- {{AUshield|NR|1}} National Route 1 (1955–1992) / {{AUshield|S|14}} State Route 14 (1992–1998)[http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/RouteNumbering/Deccomissioned%20Routes/SR14/sr14.htm NSW State Route 14] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103043938/http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/RouteNumbering/Deccomissioned%20Routes/SR14/sr14.htm |date=3 November 2013 }}, Ozroads, Retrieved on 3 June 2013.{{Self-published source|date=October 2013}} / {{AUshield|Met|10}} Metroad 10 (1998–2007):[http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/RouteNumbering/Metroads/10/metroad10.htm Metroad 10] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103043812/http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/RouteNumbering/Metroads/10/metroad10.htm |date=3 November 2013 }}, Ozroads, Retrieved on 1 June 2013.{{Self-published source|date=October 2013}} {{NSWcity|Artarmon}}–{{NSWcity|Crows Nest}}
- {{AUshield|NR|1}} National Route 1 (1955–1992): {{NSWcity|Crows Nest}}–{{NSWcity|North Sydney}}
Safety
File:Hexham.JPG is the largest of few surviving lift span bridges in NSW, still in working order.]]
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, the Grafton bus crash (in which 21 people died) and the Kempsey bus crash (in which 35 died) on the highway were two of the worst road accidents in Australia's history.{{Cite news |url=http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2009/12/22/twenty-years-ago-we-all-stood-silent/ |title=Australia's worst crash |author=Scott, Belinda |access-date=28 July 2012 |date=22 December 2009 |newspaper=The Coffs Coast Advocate |publisher=North Coast News |archive-date=21 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100221213521/http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2009/12/22/twenty-years-ago-we-all-stood-silent/ |url-status=live }} In 2010, 38 people died on Pacific Highway, and in 2011, 25 people.{{cite web |url=http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/downloads/accident_statistics_dl4.html |title=Crash statistics |work=NSW Centre for Road Safety, New South Wales Roads & Traffic Authority |publisher=Government of New South Wales |date=11 June 2013 |access-date=16 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820124115/http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/downloads/accident_statistics_dl4.html |archive-date=20 August 2013 |url-status=dead }} Over the past 15 years, the New South Wales Roads & Traffic Authority reports that about 1,200 people have been injured each year.
In January 2012, a ute swerved into the path of a B-double truck, which then veered off-road and crashed into two houses at Urunga. 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-08/teen-boy-dead-after-truck-ploughed-into-bedroom/3762684|title=Boy killed by truck ploughing into bedroom|publisher=ABC News|date=8 January 2012|access-date=17 January 2012|archive-date=14 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114093307/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-08/teen-boy-dead-after-truck-ploughed-into-bedroom/3762684|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-10/horror-crash-driver-five-times-over-alcohol-limit/3822756|title=Horror crash driver 'five times over limit'|publisher=ABC News|date=10 February 2012|access-date=17 December 2020|archive-date=4 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404192947/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-10/horror-crash-driver-five-times-over-alcohol-limit/3822756|url-status=live}} 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 {{convert|100|km/h}}. 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.{{cite news |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/death-road-detour-for-retired-nsw-coroner-kevin-waller/story-e6freuy9-1226242069539 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130403200316/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/death-road-detour-for-retired-nsw-coroner-kevin-waller/story-e6freuy9-1226242069539 |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 April 2013 |title=Death road detour for retired NSW coroner Kevin Waller |work=Daily Telegraph |access-date=7 February 2013 }} Motorists surveyed by the National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA) voted Pacific Highway the worst road in New South Wales in 2012.{{cite press release |url=http://www.mynrma.com.au/about/media/motorists-vote-pacific-highway-worst.htm |title=Motorists vote Pacific Highway worst |publisher=National Roads and Motorists' Association |date=2012 |access-date=16 July 2013 |archive-date=3 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603054126/http://www.mynrma.com.au/about/media/motorists-vote-pacific-highway-worst.htm |url-status=live }}
Major intersections
{{further|Pacific Highway (Australia), Major intersections}}
The major intersections of Pacific Highway, spread over {{convert|779|km}} on the eastern seaboard of New South Wales comprise a mix of freeway grade-separated conditions, suburban and urban roads. Between Pacific Motorway at Brunswick Heads in the north, and the highway's southern terminus at Bradfield Highway and Cahill Expressway in North Sydney, major intersections include:
:{{AUshield|NSW|B62}} Ewingsdale Road (B62)
:{{AUshield|NSW|B60}} Bruxner Highway (B60)
:{{AUshield|NSW|B76}} Big River Way (B76) – towards Gwydir Highway
:{{AUshield|NSW|B91}} Big River Way (B91) – towards Summerland Way
:{{AUshield|NSW|B78}} Waterfall Way (B78)
:{{AUshield|NSW|B56}} Oxley Highway (B56)
:{{AUshield|NSW|A43}} New England Highway (A43)
:{{AUshield|NSW|B63}} Nelsons Bay Road (B63)
:{{AUshield|NSW|A15}} Parry Street (A15)
:{{AUshield|NSW|A37}} Newcastle Inner City Bypass (A37)
:{{AUshield|NSW|B70}} Sparks Road (B70)
:{{AUshield|NSW|A49}} Central Coast Highway (A49)
:{{AUshield|NSW|A43}} Motorway Link (A43)
:{{AUshield|NSW|A28}} Cumberland Highway (Pennant Hills Road) (A28)
:{{AUshield|NSW|A3}} Mona Vale Road / Ryde Road (A3)
:{{AUshield|NSW|M1}} Gore Hill Freeway (M1)
:{{AUshield|NSW|M2}} Lane Cove Tunnel (M2)
:{{AUshield|NSW|M1}} Gore Hill Freeway (M1)
:{{AUshield|NSW|M1}} Warringah Freeway (M1)
See also
{{stack|{{Portal|Australian Roads|New South Wales}}}}
{{clear}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://www.pacifichighway.nsw.gov.au/ Pacific Highway Upgrade project page]
{{Attached KML|display=title, inline}}
- {{Commons category-inline|Pacific Highway (Australia)}}
- {{Wikivoyage inline|Pacific Highway}}
{{Road infrastructure in Sydney}}
{{Road infrastructure in Newcastle}}
{{Road infrastructure in New South Wales}}
{{Hunter Region places and items of interest}}
Category:City of Lake Macquarie
Category:Newcastle, New South Wales
Category:Port Stephens Council
Category:Roads in the Hunter Region