Freeways in Australia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
See also: Highways in Australia


Australian Capital Territory[]

Tuggeranong Parkway

Canberra region[]

Other Freeways (No Route Number)

New South Wales[]

See also: Highways in New South Wales and List of road routes in New South Wales

New South Wales has the largest number and highest density of motorways in Australia, with the majority being located in Sydney City or the metropolitan areas.

Metropolitan Sydney region (Urban Motorways)[]

  • Speed limit varies between 60 km/h and 110 km/h.
M1 Pacific Motorway
M2 Hills Motorway
M4 Western Motorway
M5 East Motorway
M7 WestLink
M8 WestConnex
M15 Hunter Expressway
M23 Federal Highway
M31 Hume Highway

  • Mona Vale Rd (St Ives to Belrose, freeways grade road)
  • Homebush Bay Drive (Freeway grade for southbound only)

  • M5 South-West Motorway (tolled East of Heathcote Road, Liverpool and on Belmore Road Exit)
  • M5 East Motorway (tolled)

  • Alfords Point Road - This road is fully motorway grade with 3 lanes each way and grade separated intersections

  • The Northern Road

(Oran Park to Bringelly, freeway grade road as part of the Northern Road Upgrades)


  • James Ruse Drive (North of Hassall Street)
  • Gladesville Bridge, Hunters Hill - This route was built as part of the F3 but cancelled.

  • Warringah Road Underpass

No route number

Unnumbered Freeway Grade Roads

  • Burns Bay Road (South of Lane Cove West) - This route was built as part of the F3 but cancelled.
  • Captain Cook Bridge, New South Wales - The only bit of F6 inside Sydney as a proposed extension but cancelled[1]
  • Syd Einfield Road (The only part of F7)

Hunter and Central Coast region (Rural and Urban Motorways)[]

  • Speed limit varies between 60 km/h and 110 km/h.

  • Teal Street and Stockton Bridge (Freeway Grade Road)[2][3]
  • Nelson Bay Road - 30% of this road is freeway grade (See full freeway grade route here)

New England Highway (Maitland–Hexham)

Motorway Link road ( only, not part of )

Pacific Highway ( only, not part of ) - See full freeway route here

South Coast region (Rural and Urban Motorways)[]

  • Memorial Drive (Wollongong) - Most of this road is freeway grade[4] - (The south 4km of the road and the north 3km of the road are, the central bit isn't though)

Princes Highway, 16% of which is of motorway or dual carriageway standard.

Rural region (Rural Motorways)[]

  • Speed limit varies between 90 km/h and 110 km/h.

  • Pacific Motorway (Northern NSW, from Ballina to QLD border)
  • Pacific Highway, 100% of which is of motorway or dual carriageway standard, except for through Coffs Harbour[5] and between Beresfield to Raymond Terrace[6] - but still two lanes as arterial standards in each direction.

  • Barton Highway - 21% of which is of motorway or dual carriageway standard, with the remainder under construction and proposed for completion by the end of 2023. See freeway route here

Under construction[]

  • M1 Princes Motorway Extension
  • Pacific Motorway

  • WestConnex Stage 3 (Major multibillion-dollar tollway/tunnels, connecting the M4 East to A4 Western Distributor and M5 East) - To be completed by 2023.
  • Sydney Gateway (Connecting Sydney Airport to the St Peters Interchange and WestConnex) [2]

  • Barton Highway duplication project (To be Completed by mid 2023)

  • Newcastle Inner City Bypass Stage 5

In planning[]

  • Western Sydney Airport Motorway (Major multimillion-dollar motorway, connecting the future Western Sydney Airport to the Westlink M7 Motorway)

Northern Territory[]

While the Northern Territory doesn't have any official freeways, parts of the Stuart Highway and the Tiger Brennan Drive are freeway grade roads with grade separate intersections.

See full freeway route here

  • Tiger Brennan Drive

Queensland[]

Brisbane region[]

'No shield'

Motorway Grade Roads

  • Moreton Bay Road (Freeway grade from Chandler to Capalaba)

  • Mt Lindesay Highway (Freeway grade from Drewvale to North MacLean - see full route here)

Former motorways

  • Story Bridge Expressway

Gold Coast region[]

Sunshine Coast region[]

Regional Queensland[]

South Australia[]

See also: Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study

In South Australia, expressway may refer to a controlled access highway with no at-grade intersections or a limited access road of slightly lower standard with at-grade intersections at some locations.

Unlike some other states, South Australia only uses the 'M' designation on grade separated freeways

Under construction[]

  • Southern Expressway: Darlington Upgrade of South Road due to be complete in 2020.
  • North–South Motorway: Regency Road to Pym Street upgrade of South Road due to be complete in 2022.

Planned/Proposed[]

Tasmania[]

The Brooker Highway at Claremont

While Tasmania's highway network has been constructed to a high standard, its grade-separated freeway network is limited. In the past, Hobart and Launceston have each had comprehensive transport studies conducted, proposing grade-separated freeways running through and around them. While some of these roads have been constructed, the majority are limited access featuring at-grade intersections. Devonport and Burnie are the only major population centres with freeway standard roads linking each other. There have been repeated proposals in recent years to fully upgrade the Midland Highway to grade-separated freeway standard.[7][8]
This List is limited to Tasmania's freeway-standard roads.

Hobart region[]

Tasman Highway approaching Hobart city center.
See also: Hobart Area Transportation Study

Rural region[]

Victoria[]

Main article: Road transport in Victoria

Victoria has the second largest number and second highest density of freeways in Australia (behind New South Wales), with the majority being located in Melbourne City or the metropolitan areas. While most of Australia has a low population density over a large area, where towns are sparse or located a significant distance from each other; Victoria has towns located throughout the entire state, with large numbers of inhabitants, in both urban and rural areas (many of which are major) such as Ballarat or Bendigo. In addition to the roads listed below, Victoria has a number of dual carriageway standard Highways that are given a 'M' designation. Whilst these roads are not officially Freeway standard, many of them may have a number of grade separated intersections along the route. These routes are not listed below (except the Western Highway between Beaufort and Buangor which is officially declared a Freeway).

M1 Princes Freeway
M2 Tullamarine Freeway
M3 Eastern Freeway
M8 Western Freeway
M11 Mornington Peninsula Freeway
M31 Hume Freeway
M39 Goulburn Valley Freeway
M79 Calder Freeway
M80 Western Ring Road
M420 South Gippsland Freeway

Melbourne region (Urban freeways)[]

  • Freeways within Greater Melbourne,[9] speed limit varies between 60 km/h and 100 km/h.

Note: 'East' and 'West' sections of Princes Freeway are officially part of the same freeway and route corridor.

  • Hume Freeway (from Thomastown to Wallan, continues past Wallan as Rural Freeway) - Not entirely freeway standard, In Kalkallo there is residential property, business and local road access with 80km/h speed limit.

  • Metropolitan Ring Road
  • Western Ring Road

Rural region (Rural freeways)[]

  • Freeways outside of Greater Melbourne,[9] speed limit varies between 80 km/h and 110 km/h.

Note: 'East' and 'West' sections of Princes Freeway are officially part of the same freeway and route corridor.

  • Western Freeway (continues at Melton West towards Melbourne as Urban Freeway)
  • Western Highway (from Beaufort to Buangor, officially Freeway standard road)

  • Hume Freeway (continues at Wallan towards Melbourne as Urban Freeway)

  • Goulburn Valley Freeway

  • Calder Freeway (continues at Keilor North towards Melbourne as Urban Freeway)

Under construction[]

  • West Gate Tunnel Under Construction, expected to be complete in 2025.
  • North East Link - Under Construction, expected to be complete in 2027/2028.
  • Western Highway Duplication (Buangor to Stawell) - Currently Suspended, Commenced Construction in 2017

Western Australia[]

Western Australia has three named freeways – Kwinana Freeway, Mitchell Freeway, and Graham Farmer Freeway – but in addition has several highways that are in the process of being upgraded to full freeway standard and are considered part of the Perth freeway network. Their designation may remain as a highway though due to state restrictions on heavy vehicles (e.g. road trains) that are prevented by law from travelling on any road classed as a freeway.

Perth Metro Freeways[]

  • Reid Highway (Erindale Road to Altone Road)[10]
  • Roe Highway (Morrison Road to Great Eastern Highway Bypass, Great Eastern Highway Bypass to Tonkin Highway, Tonkin Highway to Kwinana Freeway)[10]

  • Tonkin Highway (Great Northern Highway at Muchea to Hale Road, Mills Road to Champion Drive[10])

Rural Expressways / Freeways[]

  • Forrest Hwy - Southern extension of Kwinana Freeway at Mandurah through to Bunbury
  • Bussell Highway - Bunbury to Capel and from the south side of Capel to Busselton

Currently Under Construction in Perth[]

  • Mitchell Freeway Extension (Hester Ave to Romeo Road)
  • Mitchell Freeway southbound widening A third southbound lane is being added from Hodges Drive to Hepburn Avenue as well as an extra lane will be built from Hepburn Avenue entry ramp to Warwick Road exit ramp.
  • Leach Hwy at Welspool Rd. This will make the Leach Hwy, expressway standard from Manning Rd lights through to the eastern end of Airport Drive at Perth International.
  • Tonkin Gap project which see the currently heavily congested section of Tonkin between Collier Rd and Great Eastern Hwy upgraded to 3*3 lanes

Rural Under Construction[]

  • Bunbury Outer Ring Rd extension. The remaining stages of the BORR will form a bypass freeway of Bunbury from Australind in the northern approach to Bunbury through to Gelorup in the south approach to the city.
  • Albany Ring Rd (Phase 1 with phase 2 to commence straight after completion of phase 1)

Future Urban Upgrades and New Freeways In Planning[]

  • Mitchell Freeway Extension (Romeo Rd to Moore River)[10]
  • Mitchell Freeway southbound - Installation of smart freeway technology with ramp metering from Hester Rd to Vincent St
  • Roe Highway Extension (Perth Freight Link) (Kwinana Freeway to Stirling Highway). Was under construction but this was halted at the last change of government. It's future remains unclear.
  • Roe Highway upgrade (Great Eastern Highway Bypass, to Great Northern Highway)
  • Reid Highway upgrade (Erindale Road to Mitchell Freeway, Altone Road to Great Northern Highway)
  • Tonkin Highway upgrade (Hale Road to Mills Road)
  • Tonkin Highway upgrade (Champion Drive to Thomas Road)
  • Tonkin Highway Extension (Thomas Road to South Western Highway, Pinjarra)
  • Whiteman-Yanchep Freeway (Tonkin Highway/Gnangara Road to Mitchell Freeway (proposed)/Yanchep Beach Road)<ref>"Whiteman Yanchep Highway". Main Roads Western Australia. Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  • Orrong Rd Upgrade, Orrong road to be upgraded to a 4 lane trenched expressway with service roads alongside from Graham Farmer Freeway to Leach Highway, rising onto a viaduct over Leach Highway and Division Street/Bell Street. May be extended in the future along Orrong and Welshpool Roads as far as Tonkin Highway.
  • Great Eastern Hwy Bypass, where all current at grade intersections are planned to be removed and the road upgraded to full freeway standard.

Rural Upgrades and New Freeway In Planning[]

  • Busselton Outer Bypass (BOB)
  • Perth-Adelaide Freeway 'Orange Route' - (Roe Highway, Stratton to Great Eastern Highway bypass at Northam)

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "F6 Extension". Roads Australia. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  5. ^ [1]
  6. ^ "M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace".
  7. ^ "Plan for four-lane Midland Highway". The Examiner. December 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  8. ^ "Abbott Doorstop in Launceston - Midland Highway upgrade". Liberal Party of Australia. February 2010. Archived from the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Greater Melbourne and urban zones".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ a b c d e f g "Managed Freeways Policy Discussion Paper" (PDF). Main Roads Western Australia. June 2012. pp. 3, 25–26. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  11. ^ Seeber, Elisia (13 September 2015). "Grand Gateway to Perth Airport opens". PerthNow. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2019. Leach Highway has been upgraded to expressway standard
Retrieved from ""