South Eastern Freeway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the freeway in South Australia. For the freeway in Melbourne, also known as the South Eastern Freeway, see Monash Freeway.
South Eastern Freeway
South Australia
   
Formerly
General information
Type Freeway
Length 66 km (41 mi)
Route number(s) National Route M1
Major junctions
West end Adelaide-Crafers Highway, Crafers, Adelaide
 

Mount Barker Road
Mount Barker Road
Adelaide Road

for full list see exits and intersections.
East end Princes Highway, Murray Bridge, South Australia
Location(s)
Major suburbs / towns Stirling, Bridgewater, Hahndorf, Mount Barker, Callington, Monarto

The South Eastern Freeway (now signposted as Princes Highway) 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.

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.

South Eastern Freeway from Mount Barker Summit

The Freeway bypasses many towns previously along the Princes Highway including

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.

Exits and intersections

South Eastern Freeway
Princes Highway
Eastbound exits Distance from Crafers Westbound exits
Continues from Adelaide-Crafers Highway
as South Eastern Freeway 		0 km (0 mi) continues as Adelaide-Crafers Highway
to , &
Crafers, Mount Lofty
Mount Lofty Tourist Drive
Summit Road		 Crafers, Mount Lofty
Mount Lofty Tourist Drive
Summit Road
Stirling, Aldgate
Mount Barker Road 		1.2 km (0.75 mi) Stirling, Aldgate
Mount Barker Road
Bridgewater
Bridgewater Road		 5.8 km (3.6 mi) Bridgewater
Bridgewater Road
ADELAIDE-WOLSELEY RAILWAY 7 km (4.3 mi) ADELAIDE-WOLSELEY RAILWAY
Hahndorf, Verdun
Mount Barker Road 		8.8 km (5.5 mi) 'no exit'
Mount Barker, Littlehampton, Strathalbyn
Adelaide Road 		17 km (11 mi) Mount Barker, Littlehampton, Strathalbyn
North Terrace
Callington
Callington Road		 37.7 km (23.4 mi) Callington
Callington Road
Monarto Zoological Park
Ferries McDonald Road		 46.2 km (28.7 mi) Monarto Zoological Park
Ferries McDonald Road
Murray Bridge, Whites Hill
Princes Highway		 55.5 km (34.5 mi) 'no exit'
Murray Bridge, Swanport, Wellington
Swanport Road		 66 km (41 mi) Murray Bridge, Swanport, Wellington
Flagstaff Road
End South Eastern Freeway
continues as Princes Highway
to & 		start South Eastern Freeway
Continuation of Princes Highway

See also

References

    External links

    Road Infrastructure in Adelaide
    Freeways
    Highways and major roads
    Arterials and other roads
    City streets
    Transport in Adelaide; List of numbered roads in Adelaide
    Road infrastructure in South Australia
    Freeways
    Interstate Highways
    State Highways
    Roads
    Outback Tracks
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.