Road Photos & Information: New South Wales

New England Highway (National Highway 15)

Statistics:

• Length: NSW section: 580 km
• Northern Terminus: NSW / QLD Border at Jenkins (NSW) / Wallangarra (QLD)
• Southern Terminus: Interchange with John Renshaw Drive (NR1) at Beresfield
• Miscellaneous: Continues as New England Hwy and Cunningham Hwy in Queensland
• Suburbs, Towns & Localities along route: Beresfield, Maitland, Greta, Branxton, Singleton, Muswellbrook, Aberdeen, Scone, Parkville, Wingen, Blandford, Murrurundi, Willow Tree, Wallabadah, Tamworth, Nemingha, Kootingal, Bendemeer, Uralla, Kentucky, Armidale, Black Mountain, Guyra, Llangothlin, Ben Lomond, Glencoe, Glen Innes, Dundee, Deepwater, Bolivia, Tenterfield and Jennings.

Route Numbering:

• Current:
• Multiplexed with:
• Former:
• Road Authority Internal Classification: HW9 1
• Forthcoming Alphanumeric:

General Information:

National Highway 15 is one the major routes in New South Wales and Queensland. It links the farming regions of NSW to the ports at Newcastle and also to other major roads to Sydney and it's also a link to Brisbane's metropolitan area.

The route consists of single carriageway 2-lane rural highway, through to multi-lane divided sections, and includes two multiplexes: National Route 34, the Oxley Highway, between Tamworth and Bendemeer, and also National Route 38, the Gwydir Highway at Glen Innes.

History:

The New England Highway originally formed part of the Great Northern Road from Sydney via Wiseman's Ferry to the Queensland border (near Mt Lindesay), taking shape as settlement spread northward from the lower Hunter Valley. By 1851 the Great Northern Road had reached the Gap, two miles beyond Murrurundi. In 1858 it was classified as one of three Main Roads in the colony (Great Western and Great Southern) and extended from Morpeth via Maitland, Singleton, Muswellbrook, Scone, Murrurundi and Tamworth, to Armidale, a distance of about 236 miles. Captain Martindale, Chief Railway Commissioner, who was also responsible for roads, stressed the need for bridges as in many cases long circuits had to be made to find a crossing over a stream. In 1860 arrangements were in progress for building 90 culverts and minor bridges and for forming new sections of road, including a new ascent to Murrurundi Gap, which was previously steep with sharp dangerous turns. In 1865 the section of road between Muswellbrook and Murrurundi was metalled and a deviation suggested between Blandford and Murrurundi to skirt the Page River, obviating two bridges, however, such a deviation was never constructed. With the construction of the Northern Railway line from Newcastle, commenced in the 1850s and reaching Murrurundi in 1872, attention was diverted away from roads and sections of the Great Northern Road were in poor condition. Despite the impact of the railway, roads developed steadily and considerable progress was made in the bridging of rivers and creeks. 2

• 1874: The first bridge over the McDonald River at Bendemeer was constructed.
• 1893: Construction of Fitzgerald Bridge over Hunter River at Aberdeen (now southbound carriageway). 2
• 29 September 1905: A steel and timber truss bridge was opened over the McDonald River in Bendemeer, replaced the 1874 structure.
• 1930s: Deviation to route over the Liverpool Range, upgrades to the Nundle Road intersection at Nemingha. 1
• March 1933: The Great Northern Road was proclaimed the New England Highway. 2
• 1953: The Blandford Bridge, built to replace an earlier timber bridge that was destroyed by flood. 2
• 1954: Main Road 374, running from Tenterfield to Wallangarra was designated as part of State Highway 9 and named as part of the New England Highway, and the section of the New England Highway from Tenterfield to Mount Lindesay was renumbered as State Highway 24 and renamed the Mount Lindesay Highway. This was due to the construction of a sealed road from Boonah through Cunninghams Gap to Warwick in the early 1950s. The sealed road encouraged much more traffic to travel from Brisbane to Tenterfield via Warwick than via Beaudesert and the unsealed route on to Tenterfield.
• 1973: The DMR established a weighbridge at Kankool. 2
• 1985: Bendemeer bypassed.
• 2001: Completion of the Rose Valley deviation at Bendemeer. 3
• 2004: Duplication of Blandford Bridge. 2
• December 2005: Opening of the Devils Pinch realignment project, 30 kilometres north of Armidale. The upgrade replaced or improved about three kilometres of narrow highway, which runs through steep terrain that is subject to landslips. 3
• 2006: Commencement of construction of new railway overpass and highway realignment at Halcombe Hill between Muswellbrook and Aberdeen. 2
• March 2007: Commencement of grade separated interchange with Weakleys Drive at Beresfield. 2
• October 2008: Opening of grade separated interchange with Weakleys Drive at Beresfield.

Beresfield to Bendemeer	Bendemeer to QLD Border

1 National Library of Australia
2 Roads and Traffic Authority
3 Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government

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