Road Photos & Information: New South Wales: Hume Highway & Great Western Highway (State Route 31) (Decommissioned)

Road Photos & Information: New South Wales

Hume Highway & Great Western Highway (State Route 31) (Decommissioned)

Statistics:

Length: 30 km (Bankstown to Ultimo: 17 km)
Eastern Terminus: George Street, Regent Street & Harris Street, Ultimo
Western Terminus: Cumberland Highway & Hume Highway, Liverpool
Miscellaneous: Also signposted as Liverpool Road and Parramatta Road
Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along The Route: Greenacre, Chullora, Strathfield, Strathfield South, Enfield, Burwood, Burwood Heights, Croydon, Ashfield, Summer Hill, Leichhardt, Petersham, Stanmore, Annandale, Camperdown, Chippendale and Ultimo

Route Numbering:

Former:
Road Authority Internal Classification: HW2 (Hume Hwy) & HW5 (Great Western Hwy)
Decommissioned: 2013

General Information:

State Route 31 is a main route in and out of Sydney's CBD to the city's southwestern suburbs. Formed by some of the earliest roads built in the colony, the route is generally multi-laned and passes through commercial, residential and industrial areas.

Features along the route include Remembrance Driveway, which commemorates fallen soldiers at war. Also along the route at the Woodville Rd junction, is the Meccano Set. It's an unusual overhead installation of traffic signals. Its nickname comes from the Meccano toy, which some people say the intersection resembles. Eastbound traffic also uses one of the oldest bridges still in use in metropolitain Sydney at Lansdowne.

Multiplexes along the route include:

History:

1791: A track was cut between Sydney and Parramatta, which was used for official business only, not general travel. 2
January 1797: Governor Captain John Hunter orders the route be of the track between Sydney and Parramatta to be upgraded. 2
July 1797: Work begins to widen the track between Sydney and Parramatta to 20 feet wide. 2
August 1797: Completion of the widening of the track between Sydney and Parramatta. 2
10 May 1810: Tolling is introduced along the route between Sydney and Parramatta. The tolling was introduced to fund road upgrades. 2
June 1858: The Main Roads Management Act appoints Captain BH Martindale as the person responsible for the management of 3 main roads in the colony including the Great Western Road, from Sydney via Parramatta, Penrith, Hartley and Bathurst to Wellington. 2
1914: Sydney-Melbourne road (Great South Road) is declared a main road
1928: Sections of Great South Road renamed to Hume Highway
7 June 1926: A board meeting resolved to set aside funding from the Commonwealth's road funding scheme for road development to be used on some of NSW 'great trunk routes', which included the Great Western Road. 2
1939: Full completion of pavement along the Great Western Road. 2
1939: 95% (557 km) of the Hume Highway paved with a bitumous surface. 2
1950s: In 1952, a group of citizens met and formed a committee under Lt-General Sir Frank Berryman to create a national memorial to servicemen by using trees and shrubs as living memorials. The NSW Premier, J J Cahill, officially launched the scheme on 9 December 1953. The Remembrance Driveway project as it was called started on 5 February 1954, when trees were planted at either end of the Driveway at the War Memorial, Canberra, and in Macquarie Place, Sydney, by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. By June 1959, 10,000 trees had been planted. Since then, planting of trees in avenues or groves has continued. When the M5 Motorway replaced the Hume Highway (and also Camden Valley Way) south of Liverpool, it became the focus for planting trees and shrubs in remembrance. 3

Bankstown to Ultimo		Ultimo to Bankstown
Preview:	Description:	Preview:	Description:
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Chullora approaching Muir Rd, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands		Advance Direcitonal Sign: AD sign at Chippendale approaching City Rd (SR54), April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Muir Road: Corner of Hume Hwy (SR31) and Muir Rd at Chullora, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands		City Road: Corner of Great Western Hwy (SR31) and City Rd (SR54) at Chippendale, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Chullora approaching Centenary Dr (Metroad 3) and Roberts Rd (Metroad 3), April 2011. Image © Paul Rands		Advance Directional Sign: AD sign on Great Western Hwy (SR31) approaching Hume Hwy (Liverpool Rd) (SR31) and the unnumbered section of Great Western Hwy (Parramatta Rd) at Summer Hill, November 2010. Image © Rob Tilley
	Centenary Road & Roberts Road: Corner of Hume Hwy (SR31), Centenary Dr (Metroad 3) and Roberts Rd (Metroad 3) at Chullora, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands		Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Supplemental AD sign on Great Western Hwy (SR31) approaching Hume Hwy (Liverpool Rd) (SR31) and the unnumbered section of Great Western Hwy (Parramatta Rd) at Summer Hill, November 2010. Image © Rob Tilley
	Cooks River: Hume Hwy (SR31) as it crosses Cooks River at South Strathfield, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands		Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign at the corner of Great Western Hwy (SR31), Hume Hwy (Liverpool Rd) (SR31) and the unnumbered section of Great Western Hwy (Parramatta Rd) at Summer Hill, November 2010. SR31 turns left at this location. Image © Rob Tilley
	South Strathfield: Hume Hwy (SR31) at South Strathfield, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands		Advance Directional Sign: AD sign on Hume Hwy (SR31) approaching Stacey St (Metroad 6) in Greenacre, January 2010. Image © Michael Mak
	The Boulevard & Coronation Parade: Corner of Hume Hwy (SR1), The Boulevard and Coronation Pde at South Strathfield, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands		Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign on Hume Hwy (SR31) at the junction with Stacey St (Metroad 6) in Greenacre, January 2010. Image © Michael Mak
	The Boulevard & Coronation Parade: Corner of Hume Hwy (SR1), The Boulevard and Coronation Pde at South Strathfield, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Burwood: Hume Hwy (SR31) at Burwood, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Burwood Road: Corner of Hume Hwy (SR31) and Burwood Rd at Burwood, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Frederick St and Milton St at Burwood, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Frederick Street & Milton Street: Corner of Hume Hwy (SR31) and Frederick St and Milton St at Burwood, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Ashfield: Hume Hwy (SR31) passing through the suburb of Ashfield, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Victoria Street: Corner of Hume Hwy (SR31) and Victoria St, Ashfield, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Carlton Crescent: Corner of Hume Hwy (SR31) and Carlton Cr, Ashfield, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Carlton Crescent: Corner of Hume Hwy (SR31) and Carlton Cr, Ashfield, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Parramatta Road (Great Western Hwy) (unnumbered and SR31) at Ashfield, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Parramatta Road: Hume Hwy (SR31) at the junction with Parramatta Road (Great Western Hwy) (unnumbered and SR31) at Ashfield, April 2011. SR31 turns right at this location. Image © Paul Rands
	Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign at at Haberfield, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Haberfield approaching Tebbutt St, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Tebbutt Street: Corner of Great Western Hwy (SR31) and Tebbutt St at Haberfield, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Annandale approaching Johnston St, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Annandale approaching Pyrmont Bridge Rd, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Pyrmont Bridge Road: Corner of Great Western Hwy (SR31) and Pyrmont Bridge Rd at Annandale, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Ross Street: Corner of Great Western Hwy (SR31) and Ross St at Annandale, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Direcitonal Sign: AD sign at Glebe approaching City Rd (SR54), April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	City Road: Corner of Great Western Hwy (SR31) and City Rd (SR54) at Glebe, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Ultimo approaching Wattle St, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
	Wattle Street: Corner of Great Western Hwy (SR31) and Wattle St, Ultimo, April 2011. Image © Paul Rands
Click here for the continuation of State Route 31 between Liverpool and Bankstown

1 Roads and Traffic Authority, Schedule of Classified Roads (and unclassified Regional Roads, February 2009
2 Department of Main Roads. The Roadmakers, A History of Main Roads in New South Wales, ISBN 0 7240 0439 4
3 Roads and Traffic Authority

Last updated: 14-Aug-2020 17:46

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