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Kings Highway (Australia)

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Kings Highway

Australian Capital Territory
–New South Wales
General information
TypeHighway
Length139 km (86 mi)[1]
GazettedAugust 1928 (NSW)[2]
Route number(s)
  • B52 (2013–present)
    (Symonston–ACT/NSW border)
  • B52 (2013–present)
    (NSW/ACT border–Batemans Bay)
Former
route number		 National Route 52 (1974–2013)
Entire route
Major junctions
West end Canberra Avenue
Symonston, Australian Capital Territory
 
East end Princes Highway
Batemans Bay, New South Wales
Location(s)
Major settlementsBungendore, Braidwood, Nelligen
Highway system

Kings Highway is an interstate highway located within the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, Australia. The highway connects Canberra with Batemans Bay on the South Coast. It is designated route B52.

Route

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West to east, it starts at the interchange with Monaro Highway, Canberra Avenue and Ipswich Street on the northern border of Symonston in the Australian Capital Territory and continues in an easterly direction along Canberra Avenue, crosses over the border into New South Wales near Queanbeyan, passes through Queanbeyan itself, Carwoola, briefly crosses back into the Kowen district of ACT and then back into NSW heading south-east to Batemans Bay via Bungendore, Braidwood and Nelligen.

Kings Highway links Monaro Highway in Canberra to Princes Highway in Batemans Bay, and provides access for residents of Canberra to the NSW South Coast and its beaches. The highway is often busy on weekends, especially during summer. The highway also experiences a high number of car crashes, on occasions averaging around one every three days, costing the local community around the highway several million dollars a year.[3]

The landscape is generally sheep country. The highway travels from the Southern Tablelands to the South Coast via Clyde Mountain.

Notable features and landmarks

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A small rock cave at "Pooh Bear's Corner" can be found near the top of the Clyde Mountain Pass. This was the location of a munitions store during the Second World War, that could be detonated to stop passage from the coast to the national capital inland.[4]

Dozens of soft toys are placed in the eucalyptus trees along the stretch of road that connects Queanbeyan and Bungendore.[5]

History

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The road through the Clyde Mountain area was surveyed by Thomas Mitchell in 1855.[6]

A punt service across the Clyde River opened in 1895 and continued until the Nelligen Bridge opened on 12 December 1964.[7][8][9] A replacement bridge built by Seymour Whyte opened in February 2023 with the original demolished.[10][11][12]

The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924[13] 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 Transport for NSW). Main Road No. 51 was declared along this road on 8 August 1928, from the intersection with Princes Highway at Batemans Bay, via Braidwood, Bungendore, and Queanbeyan to the border with the Federal Capital Territory (today the Australian Capital Territory);[2] with the passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929[14] to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, this was amended to Trunk Road 51 on 8 April 1929.

The passing of the Roads Act of 1993[15] through the Parliament of New South Wales updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, the highway today retains its declaration as Main Road 51, from the state border with Australian Capital Territory west of Queanbeyan to the intersection with Princes Highway in Batemans Bay.[16] Despite its long-standing classification as a Main Road, and a long historical identity as Kings Highway, the road still has no officially gazetted name. Transport for NSW has come to an informal agreement with councils along the route to signpost the entire route as Kings Highway.

Kings Highway was signed National Route 52 across its entire length in 1974. With the conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in both states in 2013, this was replaced with route B52.[17][18]

In 2006 construction commenced on Headquarters Joint Operations Command in the Kowen district of the ACT between Bungendore and Queanbeyan. The facility opened in December 2008, and sections of the highway between the HQJOC turnoff and Queanbeyan have progressively been upgraded to cater for the increased traffic.[19]

Road usage

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In 2013 it was reported that the highway carries an average of 4,500 vehicles a day. There is an increase in traffic in the summer months.[20] In 2003, approximately 3,000 vehicles a day were using the highway at Nelligen. From Braidwood (at the Shoalhaven River Bridge) there were about 4,200 cars travelling on the road. Out of Bungendore near Burbong, 5,600 cars were counted each day.[21]

Casualty crash rates on the Kings Highway are 85% higher than the NSW average and road fatalities are 8% higher. A 2005 NRMA road survey found:[3][22]

  • The rate of people hospitalised after crashes on the Kings Highway is well over the national average. 877 crashes were recorded on Kings Highway over a 10-year period, an average of about one crash every four days. Over this time there have been 24 fatal crashes, 355 crashes resulting in injury and 488 crashes resulting in property damage. The rate was worse than this in 2004, when there were 103 crashes resulting in six fatalities and 53 injuries.
  • Crashes on the Kings Highway have cost A$42.65 million over the past three years – that's equivalent to nearly A$39,000 every day.
  • Safety: particular concerns over Clyde Mountain, and only 5% of road deemed to provide "safe" overtaking opportunities. Two blackspots (one in Eurobodalla and one in Palerang) and 16 blacklengths (nine in Eurobodalla, six in Palerang and one in Queanbeyan City) were identified. The 40 kilometres (25 mi) section of road over the Great Dividing Range – which includes Clyde Mountain – recorded the highest number of crashes, with 22% of all incidents occurring in this area.
  • The most common type of crash – 18% of all incidents – was when a vehicle leaves the road to the left on a right hand bend and crashes into a stationary object. Head-on collisions made up one in 10 of all crashes. Crashes occurred most frequently on Sundays (20%) and least frequently on Tuesdays (9%). Recent drought conditions and an explosion in the kangaroo population in the area, has seen a marked increase in the number of crashes between vehicles and these macropods – particularly at night. This is evidenced by the increasing levels of 'road kill' carcasses on the sides of the Highway.

Major intersections

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State/TerritoryDistrict/LGALocationkm[1]miDestinationsNotes
Australian Capital TerritoryCanberra Central–Jerrabomberra boundaryFyshwick–Narrabundah–Symonston boundary0.00.0 Canberra Avenue (A23 northwest) – Capital Hill, ManukaWestern terminus of Kings Highway, continues northwest as Canberra Avenue
Monaro Highway (A23 south) – Hume, CoomaSouthbound entrance and northbound exit only
Ipswich Street (northeast) – Fyshwick, to Majura Parkway – Pialligo, Canberra Airport
Fyshwick–Symonston boundary1.30.81 Hindmarsh Drive (B52 west) – Woden
Newcastle Street (north) – Fyshwick		Route B52 continues west along Hindmarsh Drive
Jerrabomberra​4.12.5Norse Road – Oaks EstateWestbound entrance and eastbound exit only
State border4.22.6Australian Capital Territory – New South Wales state border
New South WalesQueanbeyanCrestwood–Queanbeyan West boundary5.63.5Lanyon Drive – CoomaRoundabout with eastbound bypass lanes
Queanbeyan East8.65.3 Yass Road (north) – Civic, Goulburn, Canberra Airport
Ellerton Drive (south) – Jerrabomberra		Roundabout
PalerangCarwoola11.37.0Captains Flat Road – Captains FlatRoundabout with eastbound bypass lanes
State border16.610.3New South Wales – Australian Capital Territory state border
Australian Capital TerritoryKowenKowen17.010.6Charcoal Kiln Road – Kowen
State border24.115.0Australian Capital Territory – New South Wales state border
New South WalesPalerangBungendore32.220.0Tarago Road – Tarago, GoulburnT-intersection
Manar53.633.3Braidwood Road – Tarago, Goulburn
Braidwood79.449.3Nerriga Road – Nerriga, Nowra
EurobodallaBatemans Bay139.086.4Peninsula Drive (south) – North Batemans Bay
Princes Highway (A1) – Nowra, Bega, Wollongong, SydneyEastern terminus of highway and route B52
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi


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  • Warri Bridge, which crosses the Shoalhaven River near Braidwood.
    Warri Bridge, which crosses the Shoalhaven River near Braidwood.
  • Kings Highway at Braidwood.
    Kings Highway at Braidwood.
  • Horse teams carting goods from the ship at Nellingen to Braidwood, crossing Currajong Creek, about 1902.
    Horse teams carting goods from the ship at Nellingen to Braidwood, crossing Currajong Creek, about 1902.
  • Climbing Clyde Mountain from the coast to Braidwood.
    Climbing Clyde Mountain from the coast to Braidwood.
  • Pooh's Corner.
    Pooh's Corner.
  • Kings Highway (formerly called Kings Way), National Route 52, links Canberrans to the coast.
    Kings Highway (formerly called Kings Way), National Route 52, links Canberrans to the coast.

See also

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KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/Kings Highway, Australia
KML is from Wikidata
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kings Highway, Australia.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Kings Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b "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 "Research highlights costly Kings Highway crashes". ABC News. Australia. 20 October 2005. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  4. ^ Dunn, Peter. "DEMOLITION OF OUR HARBOURS, AIRFIELDS, ROADS AND OTHER IMPORTANT INSTALLATIONS". www.ozatwar.com. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  5. ^ Harden, Fred (25 March 2004). "Bear Spotting". Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  6. ^ Cumpston, J.H.L. (2007) [1954]. Thomas Mitchell: Surveyor General and Explorer. Project Gutenberg of Australia eBook. eBook No.: 0700531h.html. The final evidence—lamentably too final—of his tendency to do everything himself was his personal presence, in his sixty-fourth year, at the survey of a road through that rugged Clyde Mountain region: work which might well have been entrusted to his surveyors. ... Having contracted a chill when supervising the survey of a road from Braidwood to Nelligen, he developed broncho-pneumonia and died at his home, "Carthona" at Darling Point on 5 October 1855, in his sixty-fourth year.
  7. ^ Bridge open tomorrow Canberra Times 11 December 1964 page 4
  8. ^ Nelligen Bridge Officially Opened Queanbeyan Age 15 December 1964 page 1
  9. ^ New Bridge at Nelligen Main Roads March 1965 page 72
  10. ^ Kings Highway, Nelligen Bridge Replacement Seymour Whyte
  11. ^ Nelligen Bridge Replacement Transport for NSW
  12. ^ New Nelligen Bridge opens to traffic 2EC 22 February 2023
  13. ^ 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
  14. ^ 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
  15. ^ 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
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ "Guide Signs MIS 12" (PDF). ACT Government. April 2019. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  19. ^ "Inquiry into the Provision of Facilities for Headquarters Joint Operations Command, NSW (Chapter 3)" (PDF). Joint Standing Committee on Public Works. Parliament of Australia. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
  20. ^ "Kings Highway Route Safety Review" (PDF). New South Wales Government. March 2013.
  21. ^ "Traffic Volume Data for Southern Region 2003: Annual Average Daily Traffic for MAIN ROAD NO.51 – BATEMANS BAY-QUEANBEYAN" (PDF). Traffic Management Branch. Roads & Maritime Services. 2004. pp. 14–15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  22. ^ "Report on Southern NSW and ACT Roads" (PDF). NRMA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2008.
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