South Eastern Freeway
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| South Eastern Freeway | |
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Formerly  |
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| General direction | West-East |
| From |  Adelaide-Crafers Highway, Crafers, Adelaide |
| via | Stirling, Bridgewater, Hahndorf, Mt. Barker, Callington |
| To |  Princes Highway, Murray Bridge, South Australia |
| Major Junctions | Mount Barker Road (Princes Highway) Adelaide Road |
The South Eastern Freeway is a 66 kilometre four-lane divided carriageway road in South Australia linking the Adelaide-Crafers Highway to the Princes Highway at the Swanport Bridge, a one kilometre long bridge over the River Murray, near Murray Bridge. The Adelaide-Crafers Highway and South Eastern Freeway are seamlessly connected with minimal signage to distinguish them - as a result they are generally considered by South Australians to be a single road, usually referred to simply as the Freeway, as it was the first freeway in South Australia, and is still the longest. It is a part of the National Highway network linking Adelaide to Melbourne and signed as National Highway M1. The three roads mentioned above constitute part of the primary road link between the state capital cities of Adelaide and Melbourne - the other components are the Dukes Highway and Western Highway.
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[edit] History
Prior to the initial construction of the freeway in the 1960s, all inbound and outbound road traffic to south-eastern South Australia and to Victoria had to travel on a two-lane highway originally built in the early part of the 20th century. With growth in Adelaide's population issues of congestion and safety mandated reconstruction. Studies began in 1962 for a freeway commencing from Crafers, that endpoint selected arguably due to the massive expenditure incurred with the precedent upgrade of the Mount Barker Road.
Road construction began in 1965 from Crafers and the first stage of eastbound traffic lanes were opened in 1967, the first westbound section in 1969.
The opening of the freeway resulted in the less direct Bridgewater railway line losing patronage and eventually closing to passengers in 1987.
The Freeway bypasses many towns previously along the Princes Highway including
[edit] Connections
The Adelaide end of the South Eastern Freeway flows seamlessly into the Adelaide-Crafers Highway, which replaced a narrower road contoured to the Adelaide Hills in 2000.
The southeastern end of the freeway, near Murray Bridge feeds onto the Swanport Bridge, a two-lane one kilometre long bridge over the River Murray, where it joins the Princes Highway, a dual-carriageway highway to Tailem Bend. At this point Highway 1 becomes a two-laned, two-way scenic route which passes the coastal towns of South Australia and Victoria. The National Highway continues to Melbourne as the Dukes Highway (A8) from Tailem Bend to the Victorian border and beyond as the Western Highway.
[edit] Exits and Intersections
South Eastern Freeway  Princes Highway |
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| Eastbound exits | Distance from Swanport Bridge (km) |
Distance from Adelaide-Crafers Hwy (km) |
Westbound exits |
Continues from Adelaide-Crafers Highway  as South Eastern Freeway |
-- | 0 | continues as Adelaide-Crafers Highway |
| Crafers, Mount Lofty Mt Lofty Tourist Drive Summit Road |
Crafers, Mount Lofty Mt Lofty Tourist Drive Summit Road |
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| Stirling Aldgate Mount Barker Road |
-- | -- | Stirling Aldgate Mount Barker Road |
| Bridgewater Bridgewater Road |
-- | -- | Bridgewater Bridgewater Road |
| Hahndorf Verdun Mount Barker Road |
-- | -- | 'no exit' |
| Mount Barker Littlehampton Strathalbyn Adelaide Road  |
-- | -- | Mount Barker Littlehampton Strathalbyn Adelaide Road |
| Callington Callington Road |
-- | -- | Callington Callington Road |
| Monarto Zoological Park Ferries McDonald Road |
-- | -- | Monarto Zoological Park Ferries McDonald Road |
| Murray Bridge Whites Hill Princes Highway |
-- | -- | 'no exit' |
| Murray Bridge Swanport Wellington Swanport Road |
-- | 0 | Murray Bridge Swanport Wellington Flagstaff Road |
| end freeway Continues over Swanport Bridge as Princes Highway  to Tailem Bend |
start South Eastern Freeway Continuation of Princes Highway |
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[edit] See also
- Highway 1
- Highways in Australia
- List of highways in South Australia
- Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study
[edit] References
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
