Bradfield Highway (Sydney)

Route

Bradfield Highway commences at the interchange with Warringah Freeway and Lavender Street in North Sydney and heads in a southerly direction as an eight-lane multi-carriageway road, crossing Port Jackson over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, before shortly terminating at the interchange with Western Distributor and Cahill Expressway, at the former southern toll plaza at the southern foot of the bridge, at Millers Point.

Bradfield Highway currently carries eight lanes of traffic over Sydney Harbour Bridge, each numbered from one to eight from west to east, but with the two easternmost lanes (lanes 7 and 8) permanently assigned in a southbound direction: lane 7 as a 24hr bus lane, and lane 8 as access solely to the off-ramp to Cahill Expressway. During peak periods three out of the six remaining 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 remaining two permanent southbound lanes providing an even flow of traffic). The direction of the lanes is indicated by electronic signage above each lane. 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 Warringah Freeway to accommodate the Sydney Harbour Tunnel.

In 2001, 159,587 vehicles a day used the highway.

Bradfield Highway is still designated as a stock route, and livestock can still be herded across the Sydney Harbour Bridge if properly arranged by a grazier.

History

As a government-appointed civil engineer, John 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. When the bridge on 19 March 1932, the Governor of New South Wales Sir Philip Game named the highway after him.

Prior to the construction of Warringah Freeway in 1968, all traffic at the northern terminus of Bradfield Highway was directed to or from the Pacific Highway via North Sydney.

The passing of the Main Roads Act of 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. With the subsequent passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929 to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, the Department of Main Roads (having succeeded the MRB in 1932) declared Main Road 632 along Bradfield Highway, from the interchange with Lavender Street in North Sydney to the former southern toll plaza in Millers Point, on 22 January 1993. Despite its role as a grade-separated motorway, the road is not officially gazetted as one by Transport for NSW classification, and is still considered today to be a main road.

The passing of the Roads Act of 1993 updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Bradfield Highway retains its declaration as Main Road 632, and is specifically stated within the Roads Act 1993 to be a Main Road.

Bradfield Highway was signed National Route 1 in 1955, until the Sydney Harbour Tunnel opened and it was re-aligned along it in 1992. State Route 28 was extended from its previous terminus, at Longueville Road and Pacific Highway in Lane Cove, along Gore Hill Freeway, Warringah Freeway and Bradfield Highway when Gore Hill Freeway opened in 1992, but this was replaced by Metroad 2 a year later in 1993. It was removed when the Lane Cove Tunnel opened in 2007.

Tolls

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

Exits and interchanges

|LGA-Co=North Sydney

References

References

1. "Bradfield Highway".
2. (22 January 1993). "State Roads Act". National Library of Australia.
3. "Sydney Harbour Bridge page".
4. (27 August 2008). "NSW drovers rally to save historic travelling stock routes". [[The Wilderness Society (Australia).
5. Spearritt, Peter. (1979). "Bradfield, John Job Crew (1867–1943)". National Centre of Biography, [[Australian National University]].
6. "Sydney Harbour Bridge". Sydney Architecture.
7. Department of Environment and Heritage. "Draft nomination for Sydney Harbour Bridge". [[Engineers Australia]].
8. (30 January 2007). "Australian Heritage Database: National Heritage List: Sydney Harbour Bridge". [[Australian Government]].
9. "The Sydney Harbour Tunnel". [[Roads & Maritime Services]].
10. [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. link. (11 August 2022 10 November 1924)
11. [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. link. (12 August 2022 8 April 1929)
12. [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. link. (11 August 2022 10 November 1924)
13. [[Transport for NSW]]. (August 2022). "Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads". Government of New South Wales.
14. [http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ra199373/sch2.html New South Wales Consolidated Acts, Roads Act 1993 - Schedule 2: ''Savings, transitional and other provisions''], section 19 {{webarchive. link. (19 November 2018)
15. [http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/Freeways/HarbourCrossings/harbourcrossings.htm Sydney Harbour Crossings], ''Ozroads'', retrieved 3 June 2013.{{Self-published source. (December 2013)
16. [http://www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/RouteNumbering/Metroads/2/old-3.htm Former Alignment of Metroad 2], ''Ozroads'', retrieved 3 June 2013.{{Self-published source. (December 2013)
17. (November 2014). "Have your say: Sydney Harbour Bridge Tolling Systems Upgrade". [[Roads & Maritime Services]].