Goulburn Valley Highway

Goulburn Valley Highway Victoria
General information
Type	Highway
Length	271 km (168 mi)
Route number(s)	A39 (2014 to present) NSW/Vic Border - Arcadia M39 (2014-present) Arcadia–Seymour B340 (1998-present) Seymour - Yea B300/B340 (duplex) (1998-present) Yea - Cathkin B340 (1998-present) Cathkin- Eildon
Former route number	National Highway A39 (1998-2014) National Highway M39 (part, 2001-2014) National Highway 39 (?-1998) NSW/Vic Border - Seymour State Route 168 (1986-1998) Seymour - Yea[1] State Route 153 & 168 (1986-1998) (duplex) Yea - Cathkin State Route 168 (1986-1998) Cathkin- Eildon
Major junctions
NE end	Newell Highway NSW/Vic border south of Tocumwal, New South Wales
	Murray Valley Highway Midland Highway Hume Freeway Melba Highway Maroondah Highway
SE end	Eildon Road Eildon, Victoria
Location(s)
Major settlements	Strathmerton, Shepparton, Nagambie, Seymour, Yea, Alexandra
Highway system
Highways in Australia National Highway Freeways in Australia Highways in Victoria
Infobox instructions guidelines examples talk

The Goulburn Valley Highway^[2] is a highway located in Victoria, Australia. The section north of the Hume Freeway is part of the Melbourne to Brisbane National Highway (together with Hume Freeway) and is the main link between these two cities as well as a major link between Victoria and inland New South Wales. It is also the most direct route between Melbourne and the major regional centre of Shepparton in Victoria (via the Hume Freeway).

Route description

The highway roughly follows the course of the Goulburn River, a tributary of the Murray River. The Highway serves the fruit and vegetable growing areas of the Goulburn Valley in Victoria, one of Australia's most productive agricultural regions.

The highway runs from Eildon to Seymour as a two lane single carriageway sealed road with shoulders. The section from the Hume Freeway to Arcadia via Nagambie has been fully converted into a dual carriageway and has been renamed as the Goulburn Valley Freeway. The freeway upgrade has made sections of the original Goulburn Valley Highway redundant, either incorporated into the new freeway or acting as local access roads. The freeway section is covered with a speed limit of 110 km/h, the standard speed limit for rural freeways in Australia. Between Arcadia and Tocumwal the highway is a two lane single carriageway but with tactile road lines, wide shoulders and small sections of 3 or 4 lane single carriageway road for overtaking. The Goulburn Valley Highway crosses the Murray River at Tocumwal to join the Newell Highway in New South Wales.

Freeway upgrade

The Goulburn Valley Highway exit to Seymour and Yea near the Hume Freeway

The Goulburn Valley Highway is defined as a National Highway which means the Australian Government fully funds improvements to it. It is progressively being upgraded to freeway standard with the goal to ultimately bypass all towns between the Hume Freeway and the Murray River at the New South Wales border.

Timeline of upgrade

• 2001 - Hume Freeway to Nagambie. 16 km opened in April 2001, at a cost of $A53m. The opening ceremony was held in a new south-bound rest area and was attended by representatives of the local Taungurung Aboriginal People, who referred to the significance of the relocated ‘scarred tree’, which had been relocated as part of the project.^[3]
• 2003 - Murchison East deviation. 18 km opened to traffic on 18 February 2003, almost eleven months early, at a cost of $A88.9m.^[4]
• 2008 – 10 km Arcadia section duplication, from north of the Murchison-Violet Town Road interchange to Gribben Road, south of Shepparton. Opened in June 2008, at a cost of A$40.5m.^[5]
• 2013 - Nagambie bypass. 17 km bypass opened at the end of April, 2013.^[6]

Arcadia duplication

The duplication was a $40.55 million project funded by the Australian Government as part of its Auslink Program. The works involved duplication of 10 km of the existing Goulburn Valley Highway between the Murchison East deviation and the proposed Shepparton Bypass, just north of Ross Road. It incorporates four at-grade intersections, frontage access roads, a rest area with full facilities, and wire rope safety barriers.

The Arcadia section runs adjacent to the Calder Woodburn Memorial Avenue of Honour. A Conservation Management Plan was developed in consultation with Heritage Victoria to ensure that impact on the Avenue of Honour was minimised. The plans included measures to enhance and highlight the avenue of trees. The project was started in June 2006, open to traffic in February 2008, with final completion of all works in April 2008.

The highway carries an estimated 6,500 vehicles per day, including more than 2,000 commercial vehicles.

Nagambie bypass

The Nagambie Bypass, funded as part of the Auslink 2 (2009–2014) Federal Government infrastructure program, bypasses the town of Nagambie to the east. Funding was announced in May 2009,^[7] and construction commenced in December 2009. The bypass opened to traffic in April 2013.^[6]

Costed at $222 million, $177.6 million was contributed by the Australian Government, with the remaining $44.4 million from the State Government.^[8] The project was made up of two sections: duplicating the existing highway north of Nagambie for 3.5 km between Kirwans Bridge-Longwood Road and Moss Road (completed in November 2011), and the 13.5 km bypass road from Mitchellstown Road to Kirwans Bridge-Longwood Road.^[8]

Shepparton bypass

An alignment for the Shepparton bypass has been decided. The bypass will cross the Goulburn River at Toolamba and travel west of Mooroopna rejoining the existing highway north of Congupna.^[9]

It was proposed that the Shepparton Bypass would be funded by Auslink 2 (2009–2014)^[10] however as of the beginning of 2017 it had not been built yet.

Strathmerton deviation

A realignment will bypass the small townships of Strathmerton and Yarroweyah and avoid dangerous bends south of the Murray River crossing at Tocumwal. The proposed new route will cross the Murray Valley Highway instead of follow it through those towns, and rejoin the current route just south of the Murray River.^[11]

The proposed Strathmerton Deviation was also to be funded by Auslink 2 (2009–2014)^[12] but had also not been constructed by the beginning of 2017.

Major intersections and towns

NSW/Vic Border - Seymour

LGA	Location	km[13]	mi	Destinations	Notes
New South Wales – Victoria state border		270	170	New South Wales – Victoria state border
Moira	Koonoomoo			Continues as Newell Highway (A39)
		259	161	Cobram-Koonoomoo Road (C367) – Cobram, Yarrawonga
	Yarroweyah	255	158	Murray Valley Highway (B400) – Benalla, Cobram, Yarrawonga	Duplex with B400 Murray Valley Highway through Strathmerton until Strathmerton bypass is constructed
	Strathmerton	241	150	Murray Valley Highway (B400) – Nathalia, Echuca, Kerang, Swan Hill
	Numurkah	223	139	Katamite-Nathalia Road (C361) – Nathalia	Concurrent with C361 through Numurkah
		221	137	Katamatite-Nathalia Road (C361) – Katamatite
Greater Shepparton	Congupna	198.5	123.3	Katamatite-Shepparton Road (C363) – Katamatite	Northern extent of proposed Shepparton bypass
		198.4	123.3	Grahamvale Road (C391) – Euroa, Melbourne via town bypass
	Shepparton North	194	121	Barmah-Shepparton Road (C358) – Nathalia, Barmah
	Shepparton	191	119	Dookie-Shepparton Road (C364) – Dookie
		189	117	Midland Highway (A300) – Kyabram, Elmore, Bendigo, Benalla
	Kialla	182	113	River Road (C391) – Euroa, Benalla, Tocumwal
	Arcadia	173	107	Ross Road / Karramomus Road	continues as Goulburn Valley Highway north; Goulburn Valley Freeway south. Proposed southern end of Shepparton bypass
		171	106	Doyles Road
		169	105	Arcadia Road – Arcadia, Tamleugh West
Strathbogie	Arcadia South	168	104	Arcadia Two Chain Road – Euroa
		167.5	104.1	Zocks Road
		166	103	Noonans Road – Arcadia
		164	102	Baliffs Road
	Moorilim	162	101	Murchison-Violet Town Road (C345) – Murchison, Violet Town
		158	98	Douglas Road / Burkes Road
	Wahring	153	95	Dargalong Road – Murchison East, Monea
		150	93	Wahring-Murchison East Road – Murchison, Rushworth, Tatura
		147	91	Wahring-Euroa Road – Euroa	Caltex Service Centre
	Kirwans Bridge	143	89	Kirwans Bridge-Longwood Road – Nagambie, Longwood
	Tabilk	130	81	Mitchellstown Road (C346/C392) – Nagambie, Heathcote, Avenel
	Mangalore	124	77	Aerodrome Road – Mangalore Airport, Avanel
		121	75	Gerrards Road – Mangalore
		116	72	Selectors Road / Nalinga Road
Mitchell	Seymour	114	71	Hume Freeway – Wodonga Sydney	continues as Goulburn Valley Highway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Hume Freeway (Seymour) - Eildon

LGA	Location	km	mi	Destinations	Notes
Mitchell	Seymour	0	0.0	Hume Freeway (M31) – Melbourne, Wodonga, Sydney	B340 Continues as Goulburn Valley Freeway (M39) to Shepparton
		5	3.1	Seymour-Tooborac Road (C384) – Puckapunyal, Tooborac, Melbourne
	Whiteheads Creek	15	9.3	Goulburn River
		16	9.9	Upper Goulburn Road (C383) – Tallarook, Melbourne
Murrindindi	Kerrisdale	25	16	King Parrot Creek
	Yea	43	27	Whittlesea-Yea Road (C725) – Flowerdale, Whittlesea
		44	27	Melba Highway (B300) – Yarra Glen, Lilydale	B300 duplexes with B340
		45	28	Yea River
	Molesworth	57	35	Goulburn River
	Cathkin	62	39	Maroondah Link Highway (B300) – Bonnie Doon, Mansfield, Benalla	Goulburn Highway continues as B340 only
	Koriella	68	42	Maroondah Highway (C516) – Bonnie Doon, Mansfield, Benalla
	Alexandra	75	47	Maroondah Highway (B360) – Marysville, Healesville, Lilydale, Melbourne
	Thornton	84	52	Goulburn River
		87	54	Taggerty-Thornton Road (C515) – Taggerty, Melbourne
	Eildon	100	62	Goulburn River
				Continues as Eildon Road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Route transition

See also

• Highways in Australia
• Highways in Victoria
• Freeways in Australia
• Freeways in Victoria

References