Bradfield Highway (Sydney)

Bradfield Highway New South Wales
Bradfield Highway, south-westerly aspect
General information
Type	Highway
Length	2.5 km (1.6 mi)[1]
Opened	1932
Gazetted	19 March 1932 (1932-03-19)[2]
Maintained by	Roads & Maritime Services
Former route number	Metroad 2 (1993–2006)[3] State Route 28 (1992–1993) National Route 1 (1955–1992)[4]
Major junctions
North end	Warringah Freeway North Sydney
	Sydney Harbour Tunnel Pacific Highway Cahill Expressway
South end	Western Distributor Sydney CBD
Highway system
Highways in Australia National Highway • Freeways in Australia Highways in New South Wales

The Bradfield Highway is a highway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. At 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi)^[1] long it is one of the shortest highways in Australia.

The highway was opened on 19 March 1932 and was named in honour of Dr John Bradfield. As a government-appointed civil engineer, Bradfield oversaw the tendering process for the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and as the NSW Public Works Department chief engineer had oversight of the bridge design and construction. Amid some controversy, Bradfield was also considered to be the co-designer of the bridge's arch design, along with Dorman Long and Sir Ralph Freeman.^[2][5][6][7]

Route[]

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The southern terminus of the Bradfield Highway is at the northeastern end of the Western Distributor in the Sydney central business district and crosses the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with its northern terminus at the Warringah Freeway in North Sydney, north of the Pacific Highway exit at the Mount Street ramp. Prior to the construction of the Warringah Freeway in 1968, all traffic at the northern terminus of the Bradfield Highway was directed to or from the Pacific Highway, via North Sydney.^{[5]: Construction of the Warringah Freeway (image)}

The Bradfield Highway currently carries six lanes of traffic across the eight lane Sydney Harbour Bridge. The other two traffic lanes on the Sydney Harbour Bridge are used for the Cahill Expressway, which run only southbound on the bridge. During peak periods three out of the six lanes are reversed, giving a 2 × 4, 3 × 3 or 5 × 1 flow. The default is 4 × 2, being four north lanes and two south lanes (with the additional two lanes of the Cahill Expressway providing an even flow of traffic). The direction of the lanes is indicated by electronic signage above each lane. The lanes are numbered one to six from west to east. Lane six was also reversed prior to 1990 during the evening rush hour, giving a 6 × 0 flow, however this no longer occurs because of changes made to the Warringah Freeway to accommodate the Sydney Harbour Tunnel.

In 2001, 159,587 vehicles a day used the highway.^[8]

In August 1992 the Sydney Harbour Tunnel opened which helped to relieve congestion on the Bradfield Highway.^[9]

The Bradfield Highway is a designated stock route.^[10]

Road toll[]

A road toll is levied on all vehicles travelling across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, via the Bradfield Highway or the Cahill Expressway in a southerly direction only. A toll also applies for vehicles travelling in the same direction using the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. In November 2014 NSW Roads & Maritime Services proposed an to upgrade the tolling infrastructure which included the construction new tolling gantries at four locations on the northern approaches to the bridge, covering the Bradfield Highway, Cahill Expressway and the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, and the removal of existing tolling gantries at both the northern and southern bridge termini.^[11]

Exits and interchanges[]

LGA	Location	km[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
North Sydney	North Sydney	0	0.0	Warringah Freeway (M1) – Crows Nest, Mosman, Hornsby, Newcastle, Brisbane	Includes access from Military Road, Falcon Street and Gore Hill Freeway
				Mount Street – North Sydney	Southbound entrance only
		0.3	0.19	Sydney Harbour Tunnel – Darlinghurst, Botany, Kogarah, Sutherland, Sydney Airport	Northbound exit and southbound entry only
		0.4	0.25	Pacific Highway – North Sydney, Chatswood, Artarmon	Northbound exit only. Access from Pacific Highway to Bradfield Highway from the north via Mount Street or Falcon Street
	Milsons Point	0.5	0.31	Lavender Street – Milsons Point, McMahons Point, Kirribilli and Luna Park	Northbound exit only
Port Jackson		1	0.62	Sydney Harbour Bridge (Toll on southbound carriage only)
Sydney	Sydney CBD	2.5	1.6	Western Distributor (A4) – Haymarket, Ashfield, Parramatta	Bradfield Highway continues south as Western Distributor
				Cahill Expressway – The Domain	Northbound entrance only
				York Street – Sydney CBD	Southbound exit only
				Clarence Street – Sydney CBD	Northbound entrance only
				Grosvenor Street – Sydney CBD	Northbound exit and southbound entrance only
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access       Tolled

See also[]

Route map:

 Australian Roads portal

References[]

External links[]

• De Berquelle, Raymond (1967). The recently completed Bradfield Highway, North Sydney, New South Wales (Colour photograph). National Library of Australia.
• "Bridging Sydney: Educational Resource Kit" (PDF). Historic Houses Trust. NSW Government.