The present highway network in New South Wales, Australia was established in August 1928 when the Main Roads Board (the predecessor of the Department of Main Roads, Roads & Traffic Authority and Roads & Maritime Services) superseded the 1924 main road classifications and established the basis of the existing New South Wales main road system. (the full list of main roads gazetted appears in the Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales of 17 August 1928). The number of a road for administrative purposes is not the same as the route number it carries e.g. the Great Western Highway is Highway 5 for administrative purposes but is signposted as part of route A32.)
Many major routes in New South Wales, including Sydney motorways and even some routes named as "highways" are not officially gazetted as highways. For a list of all numbered routes in New South Wales, see List of road routes in New South Wales.
While highways in many other countries are typically identified by number, highways in Australia, including New South Wales, are known mostly by names. These names typically come from 19th-century explorers, important politicians or geographic regions.
There are a number of past or current proposed roads in Sydney and NSW.
List of gazetted highways Road number Road name Route Date of original gazettal Distance Notes HW1 Princes Highway Sydney to Victoria border via Wollongong1920 HW2 Hume Highway (includes Hume Motorway) Sydney to Victoria border via Goulburn, Gundagai, Albury 1817 HW3 Federal Highway Hume Highway to Australian Capital Territory border 1931 HW4 Snowy Mountains Highway Princes Highway to Hume Highway via Cooma 1933 Named as Monaro Highway until 1955Snowy Mountains Highway Main Roads September 1955 page 4 HW5 Great Western Highway Sydney to Bathurst HW6 Mid-Western Highway Bathurst to Hay 1928 HW7 Mitchell Highway Bathurst to Queensland border via Dubbo HW8 Barrier Highway Nyngan to South Australia border HW9 New England Highway Pacific Highway to Queensland border via Tamworth HW10 Pacific Highway Sydney to Queensland border via Newcastle and Coffs Harbour HW11 Oxley Highway Pacific Highway to Mitchell Highway via Tamworth HW12 Gwydir Highway Pacific Highway to Castlereagh Highway via Moree 1928 HW13 Cumberland Highway Liverpool to Wahroonga 1988 HW14 Sturt Highway Hume Highway to South Australia border via Wagga Wagga 8 August 1933 HW15 Barton Highway Yass to Australian Capital Territory border 1935 HW16 Bruxner Highway Pacific Highway to Newell Highway via Lismore 1959 HW17 Newell Highway Victoria border to Queensland border via Narrandera and Dubbo March 1938 HW18 Castlereagh Highway Lithgow to Queensland border via Mudgee 1974 HW19 Monaro Highway Australian Capital Territory border to Victoria border via Cooma 25 March 1938 HW20 Riverina Highway Deniliquin to Victoria border HW21 Cobb Highway Wilcannia to Victoria border HW22 Silver City Highway Sturt Highway to Queensland border via Broken Hill HW23 Unnamed (Newcastle Inner City Bypass) Windale to Sandgate HW24 Mount Lindesay Highway Tenterfield to Queensland border via Woodenbong Decommissioned 12 February 1982 HW25 Illawarra Highway Hume Highway to Princes Highway via Moss Vale HW26 Calga to Ourimbah Expressway Decommissioned after completion of parallel section of Pacific Motorway in 1986 HW27 Golden Highway New England Highway to Newell Highway via Dunedoo HW28 Carnarvon Highway Moree to Queensland border 1974 HW29 Kamilaroi Highway Bourke to New England Highway HW30 Central Coast Highway Pacific Motorway to Pacific Highway via Gosford 9 August 2006 HW31 Gold Coast Highway Pacific Motorway to Queensland border 1 May 2009 Decommissioned
See also
Highways in Australia for highways in other states and territories List of highways in Australia for roads named as highways, but not necessarily classified as highways List of road routes in New South Wales for all major routes in New South Wales
References