Expressway - The Australian Highway Site: Road Photos & Information: NSW: M23 / B23

Road Photos & Information: New South Wales

Federal Highway and Monaro Highway (M23 / B23)

Statistics:

Length:

270 km (NSW only)

Termini:

Northern:

: Northern Section (M23): Hume Highway (M31). Yarra; Southern Section (B23): Australian Capital Territory Border, Williamsdale

Southern:

: Northern Section (M23): Australian Capital Territory Border, Ginns Gap (Sutton); Southern Section (B23): Victoria Border, near Rockton

Miscellaneous:

Continues as M23 and A23 in the Australian Capital Territory and continues as B23 in Victoria

Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:

Northern Section (M23):

: Yarra, Wollogorang, Collector, Bywong, Sutton and Ginns Gap

Southern Section (B23):

: Rockton, Paddys Flat, Rosemeath, Bombala, Bibbenluke, Ando, Holts Flat, Steeple Flat, Nimmitabel, Rock Flat, Cooma, Bunyan, Chakola, Billilingra, Bredbo, Colinton, Michelago and Williamsdale

Route Numbering:

Current: M23 B23
Multiplexed with: B72
Road Authority Internal Classification: ¹: HW3 (Yarra to ACT Border (M23)); HW19 (ACT Border to VIC Border (B23))

General Information:

M23 / B23 is a major route connecting Sydney with Canberra and the NSW snowfields. It is intersected by the ACT and continues through the northern end of the ACT and out at the southern end. The route is a mix of motorway standard road and rural highway standard.

Federal Highway:

Federal Highway (M23) is one of two major connectors from Canberra to the Hume Highway, which links Sydney with Melbourne. The entire length of the Federal Highway is dual carriageway. The route forms the Remembrance Driveway which honours war veterans. ² More than 12 000 vehicles use the Federal Highway each day, of which over 15 per cent are commercial vehicles.

Monaro Highway:

Monaro Highway (B23) is a two-laned rural highway that travels through south eastern New South Wales. Parts of the route are subject to snow falls and ice during the winter months. The route continues out of the Australian Capital Territory, and passes through mostly farmland and small towns, with Cooma and Bombala being the 2 major towns on the route. At the southern end, the route passes through dense pine forests before crossing into the state of Victoria.

Multiplexes along the route include:

: B72, for 45 km, between Snowy Mtns Hwy (Sharp St) (B72) and Bombala St, Cooma and Snowy Mtns Hwy (B72), Steeple Flat.

History:

: 1929: Work commenced on a major project to provide a suitable new road to Canberra from the Hume Highway south of Goulburn. The Federal Government provided considerable funding for this road, which became the Federal Highway. ²; January 1935 to March 1937: Major scheme of improvement of Federal Highway. With the completion of this work, a bituminous surface was available on the full length of the Federal Highway and the Hume Highway between Sydney & Canberra. ²; 1954: The route was signposted as National Route 23. ²; 1965: Rest areas introduced along the Federal Highway. ³; 1974: Route was proclaimed a National Highway. ²; 8 July 1987: Collector bypass officially opened. The dual carriageway, built at a cost of $ 18 million, cut about 10 km off the trip from Canberra to Goulburn. ⁴; 18 March 1988: Sutton dual carriageway and Sutton interchange officially opened. The project had cost $28.2 million and had been built in two stages: the 7.5 km Bungendore / Macs Reef section which included twin bridges over the Yass River had cost $17.8 million; and the construction of the interchange at Sutton Road and associated roadworks had cost $10.4 million. ⁵; 1990s: Additional rest areas provided along Federal Highway as part of the Remembrance Driveway program. ³; 1996: 24 kilometre upgrade to dual carriageway begins in the Lake George area. ³; 1998: Reconstruction of Monaro Hwy, 31 km south of Bombala. ⁶; August 1999: Northbound carriageway of the Federal Highway at Lake George opened. ³; 2002: Completion of the $130 million conversion to dual carriageway near Lake George. ³; 2013: National Highway 23 replaced with M23. National Route 23 replaced with B23.