Metroad

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A Metroad route marker as used in Sydney and Brisbane

Metroads are the primary road routes serving the Sydney and Brisbane metropolitan areas in Australia. The Metroads form a network of radial and circumferential routes throughout the city, lengths of some of which are of freeway grade.

1 History
2 List of Metroads
- 2.1 Sydney Metroads
- 2.2 Brisbane Metroads
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] History

National Route 1 ends and Metroad 1 begins at Waterfall on the southern outskirts of Sydney.

Historically, National Routes passed through city centres and formed some of the main thoroughfares within Australia's largest cities. However urban growth led to massive congestion in the inner city areas. To bypass these centres, new roads were either constructed or main suburban roads were linked together to form ring roads linking one National Route to the other. The earliest scheme was adopted in Sydney in 1970s, the Ring Road scheme. They had special markers for identification.

Growth of urban sprawl made intra-urban navigation difficult. Many States introduced State Route systems in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and many roads within metropolitan areas were included. This scheme was adopted by most major cities. In Sydney the State Routes superseded the Ring Road scheme. Urban freeways in Sydney and Brisbane had their own route marking scheme.

However, it was later realised that the multiplicity of urban route marking schemes led to confusion. In the 1990s, these were streamlined in the new Metroad scheme. This scheme ensures that main priority routes are clearly identified and marked. As far as possible urban freeways are absorbed into the system. It was adopted in Sydney in 1993 and Brisbane in 1996. Metroads usually completely replaced the State Routes and National Routes along their routes, however, State Routes not on designated Metroads were usually left untampered.

Sydney Metroads are given the designation M (number) if they are of motorway standard, other Sydney Metroads and all Brisbane Metroads are sometimes known as Metroad (number).

[edit] List of Metroads

[edit] Sydney Metroads

Metroad 1 - Wahroonga to Waterfall via the M1 Eastern Distributor and the city of Sydney
Metroad 2 - Bradfield Highway (on the Sydney Harbour Bridge) to Windsor via the M2 Hills Motorway
Metroad 3 - Blakehurst to Mona Vale
Metroad 4 - Sydney to Lapstone via Parramatta Road and the M4 Western Motorway
Metroad 5 - Sydney Airport to Campbelltown via the M5 South Western Motorway
Metroad 6 - Heathcote to Pennant Hills
Metroad 7 - Casula to Wahroonga via the Westlink M7 and Pennant Hills.
Metroad 8 - vacant designation - reserved for future use.
Metroad 9 - Campbelltown to Windsor
Metroad 10 - Artarmon to Mona Vale via North Sydney and Mosman.

Sections of Metroads 1, 2, 5, and 7 form the Sydney Orbital Motorway circumnavigating the Sydney metropolitan area.

[edit] Brisbane Metroads

The numbering system for Brisbane Metroads is straightforward, with odd numbers for north-to-south alignments and even numbers for east-to-west alignments. Unlike Sydney, Brisbane Metroads do not use the "M" prefix. "M" prefix is used exclusively for "M" routes under the alphanumeric system. "M1" has now replaced the Metroad 1 symbol on that corridor only.