Epping Road

Epping Road is a 10-kilometre-long (6.2 mi)[1] arterial road located on the North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Epping Road is a major route linking the lower North Shore and Sydney central business district to the north western suburbs of the upper North Shore and Hills District of metropolitan Sydney, being a major access road to the commercial, industrial and university areas of North Ryde and Macquarie Park.

Epping Road

New South Wales
West end
East end
Coordinates
  • 33°46′26″S 151°04′59″E (West end)
  • 33°48′45″S 151°10′15″E (East end)
General information
TypeRoad
Length10 km (6.2 mi)[1]
Opened1930s
Route number(s)No shield
Former
route number
  • Metroad 2 (1993-1997)
  • State Route 28 (1974-1993)
  • Epping, Sydney
Major junctions
West end
  • Blaxland Road
  • Langston Place
 

Pittwater Road

East end
Location(s)
LGA(s)
Major suburbsEpping, Marsfield, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Lane Cove
Highway system

Route

Epping Road begins at Longueville Road near the centre of the suburb of Lane Cove, about 400 metres (1,300 ft) west from the junction of Longueville Road with the Pacific Highway, then runs north-west from Lane Cove, crossing the Lane Cove River, and running through North Ryde, Macquarie Park and Marsfield, crosses Terry's Creek and ends at its junction with Blaxland Road, adjacent to Epping Railway Station at Epping where it connects with both Beecroft Road and Carlingford Road.

History

Epping Road was originally constructed in the 1930s as an entirely new road, in contrast to most of the other main roads in Sydney which had routes originally established in the early 19th century. The road was divided by a beautiful centre strip so wide people used to park and picnic there. It was designated as State Route 28 from 1974 until 1993, then Metroad 2 from November 1993 until May 1997, when Metroad 2 was moved onto the M2 motorway. A short stretch of Metroad 2 remained on Epping Road in the Lane Cove area until March 2007 when the Lane Cove Tunnel opened.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Epping Road was further reconstructed as a mostly six lane arterial road, a major road project which lasted more than 10 years and involved the widening of the bridges at Lane Cove River and Stringybark Creek to six lanes. As vehicle use increased traffic congestion increased.

North-west of the Lane Cove River, the M2 Hills Motorway, a tollway which opened in May 1997 and diverges from Epping Road, bypassing North Ryde and Epping. It is part of the Sydney Orbital Network and carries most long-distance road traffic which previously used Epping Road. However Epping Road remains a busy road.

South-east of the Lane Cove River, the Lane Cove Tunnel, a cashless tollway, opened in March 2007 runs beneath Epping Road, bypassing Lane Cove suburb and reducing congestion.

After the opening of the Lane Cove Tunnel, Epping Road, near Lane Cove and Longueville was left intact for a period of 5 months. Then over 7 months that section of road was reconfigured to be:

  • Dedicated 24-hour bus lanes in each direction (may also be used by taxis, motor bikes and bicycles)
  • A single lane for cars in each direction between Centennial Avenue and Orion Rd both directions, the 2nd lane lost to the aforementioned dedicated bus lane.
  • A new bus interchange and pedestrian overbridge on the corner of Longueville Road and Parklands Avenue at Lane Cove
  • Right turn lanes reinstated for westbound traffic at Parklands Avenue and Centennial Avenue
  • A continuous cycleway on the southern side of Epping Rd

See [[Lane Cove Tunnel#Changes to Epping Road[5]|changes to Epping Road]] and project background[2] for more details

These changes were part of the contractual agreement reached between the NSW state government and the developers of the Lane Cove Tunnel, prior to the start of the tunnel's construction.

In mid-2011, work commenced on removing the entire median strip, wire barrier system, and native bushes from the section between Wicks Road and Delhi Road.

See also

References
  1. 2 Epping Road, Epping NSW 2121 to Epping Road, Lane Cove NSW 2066 (Map). Google Maps. 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  2. "Project background". rta.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 3 January 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.