Port Wakefield Road

Port Wakefield Road

South Australia
Port Wakefield Road; South Australia
	Wikimedia \| © OpenStreetMap
Coordinates	34°11′02″S 138°09′14″E / 34.184°S 138.154°E (North end); 34°50′53″S 138°36′00″E / 34.848°S 138.600°ECoordinates: 34°50′53″S 138°36′00″E / 34.848°S 138.600°E (South end);
General information
Type	Highway
Length	92 km (57 mi)
Route number(s)	A1 (2017-present)
Former; route number	National Highway A1 (1998-2017); National Highway 1 (1974-1998); National Route 1 (1955-1974);
Major junctions
North end	Augusta Highway; Port Wakefield, South Australia
	North–South Motorway; Northern Expressway; Salisbury Highway; Grand Junction Road;
South end	Main North Road; Gepps Cross, Adelaide
Location(s)
Major settlements	Two Wells, Virginia, Cavan, Gepps Cross
Highway system
	Highways in Australia; National Highway • Freeways in Australia; Highways in South Australia; ; ;

Port Wakefield Road and Port Wakefield Highway are an important South Australian highway. They connect Adelaide to the Yorke Peninsula, Port Augusta, northern and western South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. They are designated National Highway A1 and a part of the National Highway. They are named after Port Wakefield, the first government town north of Adelaide. Historically, the whole route was named Port Wakefield Road, however following the opening of the Northern Expressway, the route north of that junction was named Port Wakefield Highway.^{[citation needed]}

Location[]

Port Wakefield Road branches off of Main North Road at Gepps Cross in the northern suburbs of Adelaide. The route is dual-carriageway for its entire length to Port Wakefield and bypasses all of the small towns along its former route. The original bypass of Port Wakefield is now built up with roadhouses and other businesses, leading to calls to build a new bypass further east.^[1]

History[]

The four-span bridge opened in 1926 over the Gawler railway line at Cavan was replaced with two dual carriageway bridges in 1980.^[2] At the same time Virginia and Two Wells were bypassed.^[3]

In 2011 an upgrade including road widening of nine kilometres of Port Wakefield Road between Salisbury Highway and Waterloo Corner Road was completed as part of the Northern Expressway project.^[4]

In February 2020, the northbound ramp from Port Wakefield Road to the Northern Expressway was closed permanently as part of the final stages of opening the Northern Connector, the project name for the northernmost part of the North–South Motorway, a new freeway west of Port Wakefield Road, connecting the southern end of the Northern Expressway to the northern end of the South Road Superway. Northbound traffic to the Northern Expressway needs to use an earlier entrance to the North–South Motorway or join the Northern Expressway later via Waterloo Corner Road and Heaslip Road.^[5]

The contract for detailed design and construction of duplication of the highway through Port Wakefield and grade-separated intersection with the Copper Coast Highway was let in March 2020 to the Port Wakefield to Port Augusta Alliance, a consortium of CPB Contractors, Aurecon and GHD Group. This consortium is also responsible for the duplication of Joy Baluch AM Bridge in Port Augusta.^[6]^[7]

Major intersections[]

LGA	Location^[8]	km^[9]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Port Adelaide Enfield	Blair Athol–Enfield–Gepps Cross tripoint	0	0.0	Grand Junction Road (A16) / Main North Road (A1 south / A20 north-east) – Port Adelaide, Adelaide, Elizabeth, Gawler	Southern terminus; five-way traffic light intersection
Port Adelaide Enfield	Gepps Cross–Dry Creek boundary	1.2	0.75	Cavan Road (A22) – Port Adelaide
Salisbury	Cavan	2.3	1.4	Montague Road east / Churchill Road North westbound – Elizabeth
	Dry Creek–Mawson Lakes boundary	4.0	2.5	Salisbury Highway (A9) – Port Adelaide, Salisbury	Diamond interchange
	Bolivar–Paralowie	9.4	5.8	Bolivar Road to Kings Road (A18) – Modbury
	Waterloo Corner	13.0	8.1	Waterloo Corner Road – Angle Vale, St Kilda
Playford	Waterloo Corner	15.7– 17.0	9.8– 10.6	Northern Expressway (M2) north-east – Gawler, Renmark, North–South Motorway south	Partial interchange: Northbound Port Wakefield Road has no choice but to continue to Port Wakefield Highway
	Virginia, Waterloo Corner	17.6	10.9	Old Port Wakefield Road – Virginia
	Virginia, Buckland Park	23	14	Angle Vale Road – Virginia, Angle Vale, Gawler
Adelaide Plains	Two Wells	30	19	Mallala Road – Two Wells, Gawler, Mallala, Balaklava
Wakefield	Port Wakefield	87.3	54.2	Augusta Highway (A1) north / Port Wakefield–Auburn Road (B84) north-east / North Street west – Port Augusta, Balaklava	Northern highway terminus; continues as Augusta Highway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Incomplete access Route transition

Towns[]

Approximate road distances (in kilometres) of towns along the Port Wakefield Road from Main North Road, Adelaide

Port Wakefield Road passes through the northern Adelaide Plains. To the west of the road is the coastal fringe of upper Gulf St Vincent, including a number of fishing and holiday villages. To the east is rich cropping and farming land.

The list of towns on or near the road include:

Virginia
Two Wells
Lower Light
Dublin
Windsor
Wild Horse Plains
Inkerman
Port Wakefield

References[]

^ "Mid North and Yorke Peninsula" (PDF). Strategic Infrastructure Plan. Government of South Australia. April 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 May 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2006.
^ Port Wakefield Road Closed The News 4 September 1926 page 8
^ Upgrading for Adelaide's northern outlets Australian Transport March 1980 page 19
^ "AusLink Projects: Northern Expressway". AusLink. Government of Australia. 14 July 2006. Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2006.
^ "Northern Expressway on-ramp – closure and detour" (PDF). North-South Corridor Northern Connector Project notification. Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure. February 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
^ "Port Wakefield Overpass and Highway Duplication". Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
^ McCormack, Michael (1 March 2020). "PORT WAKEFIELD AND JOY BALUCH UPGRADES ARE SIGNED, SEALED AND SOON TO BE DELIVERED" (PDF) (Press release). Retrieved 9 May 2020 – via Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure.
^ A.J.Miazzo (16 December 2013). "Naming of State Rural Roads - Mid North" (PDF). Government of South Australia. Rack Plan 869. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
^ Google (12 June 2014). "Port Wakefield Road" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 12 June 2014.

[1] "Mid North and Yorke Peninsula" (PDF). Strategic Infrastructure Plan. Government of South Australia. April 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 May 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2006.

[2] Port Wakefield Road Closed The News 4 September 1926 page 8

[3] Upgrading for Adelaide's northern outlets Australian Transport March 1980 page 19

[4] "AusLink Projects: Northern Expressway". AusLink. Government of Australia. 14 July 2006. Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2006.

[5] "Northern Expressway on-ramp – closure and detour" (PDF). North-South Corridor Northern Connector Project notification. Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure. February 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.

[DPTI-6] "Port Wakefield Overpass and Highway Duplication". Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure. Retrieved 9 May 2020.

[7] McCormack, Michael (1 March 2020). "PORT WAKEFIELD AND JOY BALUCH UPGRADES ARE SIGNED, SEALED AND SOON TO BE DELIVERED" (PDF) (Press release). Retrieved 9 May 2020 – via Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure.

[MidNorth-8] A.J.Miazzo (16 December 2013). "Naming of State Rural Roads - Mid North" (PDF). Government of South Australia. Rack Plan 869. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2016.

[9] Google (12 June 2014). "Port Wakefield Road" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 12 June 2014.

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Freeways	South Eastern Freeway North-South Corridor Northern Expressway North–South Motorway (in progress) Southern Expressway Port River Expressway
Highways and major roads	Anzac Highway Gawler Bypass Glen Osmond Road Grand Junction Road Main North Road Main South Road Mount Barker Road North East Road Port Road Port Wakefield Road Portrush/Lower Portrush/Ascot/Taunton/Hampstead Roads Salisbury Highway Sir Donald Bradman Drive South Road Victor Harbor Road
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City streets	Angas Street East Terrace Carrington Street Currie Street Flinders Street Franklin Street Gawler Place Gilbert Street Gilles Street Gouger Street Grenfell Street Grote Street Halifax Street Hindley Street King William Street Morphett Street North Terrace Pirie Street Pulteney Street Rundle Mall Rundle Street South Terrace Sturt Street Wakefield Street Waymouth Street West Terrace Wright Street
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show v t Road infrastructure in South Australia
Expressways	South Eastern Freeway Port River Expressway Northern Expressway North–South Motorway (incomplete, under construction) Southern Expressway
Interstate highways	Barrier Highway Dukes Highway Eyre Highway Mallee Highway Princes Highway Stuart Highway Sturt Highway
State highways	Augusta Highway Gawler Bypass Horrocks Highway Main South Road Port Wakefield Road Riddoch Highway Victor Harbor Road
Arterial roads	Adelaide–Mannum Road Barossa Valley Way Birdseye Highway Browns Well Highway Cameron Highway Copper Coast Highway Flinders Highway Flinders Ranges Way Glenelg Highway Gorge Road Goyder Highway Horrocks Highway Karoonda Highway Lincoln Highway Ngarkat Highway Onkaparinga Valley Road Playford Highway RM Williams Way Southern Ports Highway Spencer Highway St Vincent Highway Strathalbyn Road Strathalbyn–Goolwa Road The Outback Highway Thiele Highway Tod Highway Wellington Road Wilkins Highway Wimmera Highway Yorke Highway
Outback tracks	Anne Beadell Highway Birdsville Track Colson Track Gunbarrel Highway Maralinga to Emu Road Mount Davies Road Oodnadatta Track Strzelecki Track Vokes Hill Corner to Cook Road
Transport in South Australia; List of road routes in South Australia