Castlereagh Highway is a 790-kilometre (490 mi)[1] state highway located in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. From north to south the highway traverses South West Queensland and the North West Slopes, Orana, and Central West regions of New South Wales.

Castlereagh Highway

New South Wales
Dick O'Brien Bridge (1991) carrying Castlereagh Highway over Barwon River, Walgett, NSW.
General information
TypeHighway
Length790 km (491 mi)[1]
GazettedAugust 1928 (NSW, as Main Road 56)[2]
March 1938 (NSW, as State Highway 18)[3]
Route number(s)
  • A55 (2005–present)
    (St George–QLD/NSW border)
  • B55 (2013–present)
    (QLD/NSW border–Marrangaroo)
Former
route number
  • National Route 55 (1997–2005)
    (St George–QLD/NSW border)
  • National Route 55 (1974–2013)
    (QLD/NSW border–Gilgandra)
  • State Route 86 (1974–2013)
    (Gilgandra–Marrangaroo)
Major junctions
North end Carnarvon Highway
St George, Queensland
 
South end Great Western Highway
Marrangaroo, New South Wales
Location(s)
Major settlementsDirranbandi, Hebel, Walgett, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Dunedoo, Mudgee
Highway system

The highway is part of the Great Inland Way linking Sydney and Cairns, and provides all-weather access to rugged black opal country of Lightning Ridge.[4]

Castlereagh Highway was named after the Castlereagh River, which it parallels for most of its journey north from Gilgandra.

Route edit

Castlereagh Highway commences at an intersection with Carnarvon Highway, south of St George, Queensland, and heads in a south-westerly direction via Dirranbandi to Hebel, where it crosses the state border with New South Wales just beyond and continues in a southerly direction, past Lightning Ridge to Walgett, where it crosses the Barwon and Namoi Rivers and meets the Gwydir and Kamilaroi Highways. Continuing south through Coonamble, the highway crosses the Castlereagh River and meets the Oxley and Newell Highways in Gilgandra. It continues in a south-easterly direction through Dunedoo, sharing a short concurrency with Golden Highway, continues through the regional centres of Gulgong and Mudgee, through Ilford and the junctions of Bathurst-Ilford Road and Bylong Valley Way, before eventually terminating at an interchange with Great Western Highway at Marrangaroo, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north-west of Lithgow.[5]

History edit

The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924[6] through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later the Department of Main Roads, and eventually Transport for NSW). Main Road No. 55 was declared from the intersection with Great Western Highway near Marrangaroo, via Ilford, Mudgee, and Gulgong to Craboon (and continuing northwards via Coolah eventually to the intersection with Oxley Highway at Mullaley),[2] Main Road No. 56 was declared from Walgett, via Coonamble to Gilgandra (and continuing southwards via Dubbo, Forbes, Cowra, Yass and Canberra eventually to the intersection with Queanbeyan-Braidwood Road, today Kings Highway, at Queanbeyan),[2] and Main Road No. 205 was declared from Craboon via Dunedoo to Mendooran (and continuing northwards via Tooraweenah to Coonamble),[2] on the same day, 8 August 1928. With the passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929[7] to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, these were amended to Trunk Roads 55 and 56 and Main Road 205 on 8 April 1929. Trunk Road 77 was later declared from the intersection with Oxley Highway at Gilgandra via Mendooran and Dunedoo, to Trunk Road 55 at Craboon, on 16 March 1938.[8]

The Department of Main Roads, which had succeeded the New South Wales MRB in 1932, declared State Highway 18 on 16 March 1938, from the intersection with State Highway 11 (later known as Oxley Highway) at Gilgandra via Coonamble and Walgett to the state border with Queensland near Brenda;[3] with the declaration of State Highway 17 (later known as Newell Highway) on the same day,[9] the northern end of Trunk Road 56 was truncated to meet State Highway 17 at Forbes, as a result.[9] State Highway 18 was named Castlereagh Highway on 12 May 1954,[10] after the Castlereagh River, with the river named in honour of Lord Castlereagh.[11][12]

The alignment north of Lightning Ridge was altered on 17 June 1959 to meet the state border with Queensland at Hebel via Angledool, instead of via Brenda.[13] In December 1982, a 15 kilometre deviation opened south of Mudgee as part of the Windamere Dam project.[14]

The Roads and Traffic Authority, succeeding the New South Wales DMR in 1989, extended the highway declaration south from Gilgandra via Dunedoo and Mudgee to Marrangaroo on 3 October 1997, subsuming Main Road 77 (previously Trunk Road 77).[15] The southern end of Main Road 56 (previously Trunk Road 56) was truncated to meet State Highway 18 east of Craboon, as a result.[15]

The passing of the Roads Act of 1993[16] through the Parliament of New South Wales updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Castlereagh Highway today retains its declaration as Highway 18, from the state border with Queensland at Hebel to the intersection with Oxley Highway in Gilgrandra, then from the intersection with Newell Highway in Gilgandra to the intersection with Golden Highway in Dunedoo, then from the intersection with Golden Highway near Craboon to the interchange with Great Western Highway at Marrangaroo.[17]

Within New South Wales, the highway was signed National Route 55 in 1974 from Gilgandra to Walgett, and State Route 86 south of Gilgandra; National Route 55 was extended north from Walgett to the border with Queensland in 1983. Queensland however signed Carnarvon Highway as National Route 55 between 1983 and 1997 rather than Castlereagh Highway, causing a major discrepancy for many years in that National Route 55 met the border at Hebel but abruptly begun again over 100 kilometres (62 mi) east along the border at Mungindi. The Queensland Road Department changed this in 1997 and signed National Route 55 over the border north to St George, and eventually to Charters Towers in later years. With both states' conversion to the newer alphanumeric system between 2005 and 2013, its route number was updated to route A7 between Rolleston and Roma and A55 between Roma and the state border for the highway within Queensland in 2005, and eventually along the remaining highway within New South Wales as route B55 in 2013.[18]

Upgrades edit

The Roads of Strategic Importance initiative, last updated in March 2022, includes the following project for Castlereagh Highway.

Carnarvon Highway intersection upgrade edit

A project to upgrade the intersection with Carnarvon Highway at a cost of $3.4 million was completed in mid-2022.[19] This project was targeted for "early works" by the Queensland Government.[20]

Major junctions edit

StateLGALocationkm[1]miDestinationsNotes
QueenslandBalonneSt George00.0   Carnarvon Highway (A55 north, National Route 46 south) – Roma, St George, MungindiNorthern terminus of highway at T intersection, route A55 continues north along Castlereagh Highway
Dirranbandi6842Noondoo–Mungindi Road – MungindiT intersection
8855Railway Street – DirranbandiT intersection
9056Bollon–Dirranbandi Road – BollonT intersection
Hebel15496William Street – GoodoogaT intersection
15898  Castlereagh HighwaySouthern terminus of route A55
State borderQueensland – New South Wales state border
New South WalesWalgettAngledool  Castlereagh HighwayNorthern terminus of route B55
Walgett274170  Gwydir Highway (B76 east) – Collarenebri, MoreeT intersection; northern terminus of concurrency with route B76
Barwon River281175Dick O'Brien Bridge
WalgettWalgett284176Kamilaroi Highway (east) – NarrabriT intersection
Namoi River288179Bridge over the river (no known name)
WalgettWalgett289180  Kamilaroi Highway (B76 west) – Brewarrina, Bourke4-way intersection; southern terminus of concurrency with route B76
Castlereagh River404251Bridge over the river at Coonamble (no known name)
Castlereagh River462287Bridge over the river at Armatree (12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Gulargambone, no known name)
GilgandraGilgandra501311Oxley Highway – Warren, NevertireT intersection
501311  Newell Highway (A39 south) – Dubbo, ParkesT intersection; northern terminus of concurrency with route A39
Castlereagh River501311Bridge over the river at Gilgandra (no known name)
GilgandraGilgandra502312  Newell Highway (A39 north) – CoonabarabranT intersection; southern terminus of concurrency with route A39
Castlereagh River541336Bridge over the river (12 kilometres (7.5 mi) west of Mendooran, no known name)
WarrumbungleMendooran553344Mendoran Road – Binnaway, CoonabarabranT intersection
Dunedoo591367  Golden Highway (B84 west) – DubboT intersection; western terminus of concurrency with route B84
Talbragar River596370Bridge over the river (no known name)
WarrumbungleDunedoo601373  Golden Highway (B84 east) – Merriwa, Singleton, NewcastleT intersection; eastern terminus of concurrency with route B84
Wialdra Creek638396Bridge over the river (no known name)
Cudgegong River657408Holyoake Bridge (1km North of Mudgee)
Mid-WesternIlford725450Bylong Valley Way – Kandos, Rylstone, Bylong, Sandy HollowT intersection
727452Bathurst-Ilford Road – Sofala, Bathurst
LithgowMarrangaroo790490  Great Western Highway (A32) – Bathurst, Lithgow, SydneySouthern terminus of highway and route B55 at directional T interchange;
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Google (31 August 2022). "Castlereagh Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Main Roads Act, 1924-1927". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 110. 17 August 1928. pp. 3814–20. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ a b "Main Roads Act, 1924-1937". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 46. National Library of Australia. 25 March 1938. p. 1223. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Welcome to Castlereagh Highway". Lonely Planet. 2016. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Map of Castlereagh Highway". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Digital Atlas Pty Limited. 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  6. ^ State of New South Wales, An Act to provide for the better construction, maintenance, and financing of main roads; to provide for developmental roads; to constitute a Main Roads Board Archived 11 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 November 1924
  7. ^ State of New South Wales, An Act to amend the Main Roads Act, 1924-1927; to confer certain further powers upon the Main Roads Board; to amend the Local Government Act, 1919, and certain other Acts; to validate certain payments and other matters; and for purposes connected therewith. Archived 12 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 8 April 1929
  8. ^ "Main Roads Act, 1924-1937". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 46. National Library of Australia. 25 March 1938. p. 1222. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Main Roads Act, 1924-1937". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 58. National Library of Australia. 14 April 1938. pp. 1525–6. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Main Roads Act, 1924-1954". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 89. National Library of Australia. 4 June 1954. p. 1648. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Castlereagh River". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 18 January 2013.  
  12. ^ "Historical Roads of New South Wales" (PDF). NSW Main Roads. Sydney: OpenGov NSW. September 1954. p. 3.
  13. ^ "Main Roads Act, 1924-1958". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 75. National Library of Australia. 3 July 1959. pp. 1990–2. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  14. ^ "JOURNAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MAIN ROADS, NEW SOUTH WALES" (PDF). Main Roads. 48 (1). Sydney: OpenGov NSW: 15–7. March 1983.
  15. ^ a b "Roads Act 1993". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 107. National Library of Australia. 3 October 1997. p. 8453. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  16. ^ State of New South Wales, An Act to make provision with respect to the roads of New South Wales; to repeal the State Roads Act 1986, the Crown and Other Roads Act 1990 and certain other enactments; and for other purposes. Archived 11 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 November 1924
  17. ^ Transport for NSW (August 2022). "Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  18. ^ "Road number and name changes in NSW" (PDF). Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  19. ^ "Carnarvon Highway and Castlereagh Highway Intersection Upgrade". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 28 January 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  20. ^ "ROSI early works package" (PDF). Queensland Government. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2022.