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Snowy Mountains Highway

New South Wales
General information
TypeHighway
Length287 km (178 mi)[1]
333 km (207 mi) including intervening roadway.[1]
Route number(s)
  • B72
  • (Entire Length)
Major junctions
Eastern section
East end
 
  • Buckajo Road
West end
Western section
East end
 
  • Middlingbank Road
  • Kosciuszko Road
  • Wee Jasper Road
  • Gocup Road
  • Tumut Street (to Wondalga Road, via Selwyn Street)
  • Grahamstown Road
West end
Location(s)
Major settlementsAdelong, Tumut, Adaminaby, Cooma
Restrictions
GeneralWithin Kosciuszko National Park, it is recommended that Two-wheel drive vehicles carry snow chains during winter.[2]
Highway system

The Snowy Mountains Highway is a highway in New South Wales, Australia. Its two sections connect the New South Wales South Coast to the Monaro region, as well as the Monaro to the South West Slopes via the Snowy Mountains. The higher altitude regions of this road are subject to snow over the winter months, and the road also provides access to many parts of the Snowy Mountains Scheme.

History edit

The Snowy Mountains Highway was listed as a State Highway by the New South Wales Main Roads Board (MRB) in their 1928 annual report. The following year, the MRB's heirarchical system which supported this listing was proclaimed with the passing Main Roads (Amendment) Act, April 1929.[3] The highway was classified as State Highway 4, and originally known as the Monaro Highway, and ran from Tathra, via Bega, Cooma, Tumut, and various other towns and villages, to Wagga Wagga.[4][5] Driving in Kosciuszko National Park, Australia.jpg

In 1933, the Department of Main Roads (DMR), which had succeeded the MRB previous year, proclaimed the portion of the Snowy Mountains Highway between Wagga Wagga and the Hume Highway at Lower Tarcutta to be part of the Sturt Highway, with the Snowy Mountains Highway terminating at its own junction with the Hume Highway instead.[6][5]

When the Snowy Mountains Scheme commenced in 1949, the road began to increase in importance, and roadworks to increase the standard of the road were undertaken, often paid for by the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority.[5]

In 1955, it was decided that what was still then known as the Monaro Highway, would be renamed as the Snowy Mountains Highway. This was done as only a relatively small portion of the road was actually within the Monaro region. As part of the changes the section of road between Cooma and Nimmitabel was reclassified as part of State Highway 19, which at that time ran from Canberra, to the Victorian border west of Delegate. The various roads classified as State Highway 19, were then named as the Monaro Highway in 1958. In contrast with the Snowy Mountains Highway, the entire length of that highway is within the Monaro region.[5][7][8]

Over the years further changes have occurred, the eastern section of the highway no longer runs west to Nimittabel, instead meeting the Monaro Highway to the south, with the old section renamed as Old Bega Road. Similarly the section from Bega to Tathra was renamed as Tathra Road and the Snowy Mountains Highway now terminates where it meets the Princes Highway.[5][9] The western section has also seen some major changes with the highway being realigned to avoid Lake Eucumbene near Adaminaby due to the construction of Eucumbene Dam in the 1950s.[10] Similarly realignment was required to avoid the Jounama Pondage and Blowering Reservoir near Talbingo due to the construction of Jounama and Blowering Dams in the 1960s.[11]

Route Description edit

The Snowy Mountains Highway begins at a T-intersection with the Princes Highway at Stony Creek, north of Bega, and heads roughly west through hilly terrain, the terrain smoothes eventually and the road crosses the Bemboka River at Morans Crossing. A short distance further, the road passes through Bemboka, taking on the name Loftus Street within the urban area. West of Bemboka, the road follows the southern bank of the Bemboka River, before crossing the Nunnock River near its confluence with the Bemboka River at the base of the Great Dividing Range escarpment. Up until this point the immediate landscape surrounding the road has so far consisted of farmland. From the base of the range the road enters South East Forest National Park and climbs from about 250 m (820 ft) above sea leve, to over 1,100 m (3,600 ft), following a steep and windy alignment up the range. At the top of the range the road then enters Glenbog State Forest before once again traversing farmland for a short distance until the highway meets the Monaro Highway at Steeple Flat, south of Nimmitabel. This intersection is a T-intersection, through traffic continues north on the Monaro Highway, while traffic heading to the south from either direction must turn.[1][9]

The western section begins at the Bombala and Sharp Street roundabout in Cooma. Upon leaving Cooma, the road heads west via farmland to the village of Pine Valley, where the road meets a T-intersetion, with through traffic taking Kosciuszko Road southwest towards Jindabyne, and the highway turning to continue on its westerly heading. The roadway makes its way through undulating terrain for some distance before it passes through Adaminaby, and the on into Kosciuszko National Park. The road winds through mountainous terrain as it climbs towards the abandoned mining settlement of Kiandra, situated at am altitude of around 1,400 m (4,600 ft). The landscape become open grassland at this point and remains relatively flat as the road continues gently up an alpine valley created by the Eucumbene River and its numerous tributaries. The road then descends into a similar valley created the Murrumbidgee River as it passes by the access roads for Yarrangobilly Caves. The highway then veers northwest back into forested terrain, it continues along the same rough heading through hilly terrain for some distance before a mountainous descent from 900 m (3,000 ft) to 400 m (1,300 ft), near the town of Talbingo, which is located a few kilometres west of the highway. Continuing on, the roadway passes by Jounama Dam and then roughly parallels the eastern side of Blowering Reservoir (created by Blowering Dam further downstream), before leaving the National Park descending into farmland on the Tumut Plains, roughly 300 m (980 ft) above sea level.[1][9]

From here the highway then crosses the Tumut River and heads into the town of Tumut itself, taking on the names Blowering Street, Fitzroy Street, and Adelong Street within the urban area. West of Tumut the road crosses a large valley created by Gilmore Creek and Deep Creek, before a small climb through Adelong Gap into the town of Adelong, taking on the names Tumut Street, Inglis Street, and Lynch Street within the urban area. Past Adelong the road continues northeast through undulating terrain before crossing Hillas Creek and then following it for the last few kilometres until the Snowy Mountains Highway's western terminus at the Hume Highway, roughly halfway between Gundagai and Tarcutta.[1][9]

High altitude sections subject to snow and ice have yellow lane markings and red reflector posts (which are sometimes double or triple height), in contrast to the white lines and posts generally seen elsewhere around Australia. Snow chains are recommended to be carried for all two-wheel drive vehicles on this highway within Kosciuszko National Park during the winter months.[1][12][13]

 
Distinctive yellow lane marking and tall red reflector posts used in high altitude sections of the highway. This image was taken within a forested section near Yarrangobilly Caves.

Shielding edit

Shielding was first introduced in Australia in late 1954, and over the following decades it was progressively rolled out to the various highways around the nation, under a nationwide route numbering scheme.[14]

Previous to the NSW conversion to alphanumeric routes in 2013, the highway bore the National Route 18 shield along its entire length. In addition to this, the section of the Monaro Highway between Cooma and Steeple Flat also bore the National Route 18 shield in addition to the National Route 23 shielding used along the remainder of its length; this kind of arrangement is known as a duplex or concurrency. This allowed one route to cover the highway from end to end.[15]

The Snowy Mountains Highway was allocated the alphanumeric route B72 as part of New South Wales' 2013 conversion. The route duplex along the Monaro Highway remains intact with B72 used in addition to B23 between Cooma and Steeple Flat.[16][13]

Junction list edit

Eastern Section edit

LGALocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
Bega Valley ShireStony Creek0.00.0  Princes Highway [A1] - Batemans Bay, BegaHighway terminus.
Morans Crossing17.310.7Buckajo Road
Bemboka26.416.4Mogilla Road - Candelo
Cooma-Monaro ShireSteeple Flat52.732.7Steeple Flat Road - Steeple Flat
58.536.4   Monaro Highway [B23/B72] - Bombala, CoomaRoadway and Route B72 continue north as Monaro Highway.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Western Section edit

LGALocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
Cooma-Monaro ShireCooma10565   Monaro Highway [B23/B72] [as Bombala Street (south) and Sharp Street (east)] / Bombala Street (north) - Bega, Bombala, CanberraRoadway continues east as Monaro Highway (Sharp Street).
Route B72 continues south along Monaro Highway.
Cooma-Monaro Shire / Snowy River ShireCooma / Dairymans Plains10968Dry Plains Road - Dry Plain
Snowy River ShirePine Valley11270Kosciuszko Road - Jindabyne
Coolringdon11471Slacks Creek Road - Middlingbank, Buckenderra
Rhine Falls13282Middlingbank Road - Middlingbank, Berridale
Dry Plain13986Dry Plains Road - Dry Plain
Adaminaby15596Bobeyan Road (north) / Bushrangers Hill Road (south)
15798Lett Street - Yaouk
15898Old Adaminaby Road - Old Adaminaby, Anglers Reach
Kosciuszko National Park175109Tantangara Road - Tantangara Dam
194121Link Road - Cabramurra, Khancoban, Tumbarumba
Snowy River Shire / Tumut ShireKosciuszko National Park / Yarrangobilly209130Yarrangobilly Caves Exit RoadOne way road - Exit only.
Snowy River ShireKosciuszko National Park212132Long Plain Road
Tumut ShireYarrangobilly215134Yarrangobilly Caves Entry Road - Yarrangobilly CavesOne way road - Entry only.
Talbingo246153Murray Jackson Drive - Talbingo, Tumut 3 Power Station
Wermatong276171Tumut Plains Road (north) / East Blowering Road (south)
Tumut284176Tumut Plains Road (east) / Broughton Street (west)
286178Wee Jasper Road - Wee Jasper, Lacmalac, Tumut Airport
287178Gocup Road (north) / Capper Street (south) - Gundagai
Gilmore293182Batlow Road (south) / Gilmore Mill Road (north) - Batlow, Tumbarumba
Adelong305190Tumut Street - Batlow, Tumbarumba
306190Grahamstown Road - Gundagai, Adelong Falls
Bangadang314195Yaven Creek Road
Gundagai ShireMundarlo / Mount Adrah333207  Hume Highway [M31] - Albury, Wagga Wagga, GundagaiPartial Y-interchange, no northbound to eastbound ramp (access to eastbound carriageway provided by U-turn bay on Hume Highway);
Highway Terminus.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Notes

  • Distances listed include intervening roadway between the eastern and western sections. Total length without including this roadway is 287 km (178 mi)
  • Minor junctions are not listed.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f Google (27 July 2013). "Snowy Mountains Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Driving in the snow". NSW Government - Office of Environment and Heritage. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  3. ^ Kass, Terry (February 2006). "RTA Thematic History (2nd Edition)" (PDF). A component of the RTA Heritage and Conservation Register. NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA). p. 37. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  4. ^ "THE NEW ROADS POLICY". The Canberra Times. Canberra, ACT. 2 October 1928. p. 2. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Snowy Mountains Highway" (PDF). Main Roads. NSW Department of Main Roads. December 1955. pp. 44, 51. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  6. ^ Kass, Terry (February 2006). "RTA Thematic History (2nd Edition)" (PDF). A component of the RTA Heritage and Conservation Register. NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA). p. 84. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Monaro Highway" (PDF). Main Roads. NSW Department of Main Roads. December 1959. p. 49. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  8. ^ "Monaro Highway New Name For Cooma Road". The Canberra Times. Canberra, ACT. 21 October 1958. p. 3. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d SIX Maps (Map). Cartography by NSW Department of Finance and Services, Sinclair Knight Merz, and Astrium GEO-Information Services. NSW Government - Land and Property Information. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  10. ^ "Adaminaby Road Closures". The Canberra Times. Canberra, ACT. 19 July 1957. p. 2. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  11. ^ "Road conditions for Christmas tourists". The Canberra Times. Canberra, ACT. 20 December 1966. p. 28. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  12. ^ "Snow driving". NSW Government - Transport for New South Wales. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  13. ^ a b "NSW Route B72". Photos of route B72 - Bega to Tumblong. Ozroads. 27 July 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  14. ^ "It will be 'Highway 31'". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria. 13 August 1954. p. 5. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  15. ^ "National Route 18". Photos of the Snowy Mountains Highway. Ozroads. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  16. ^ "Alpha numeric route number maps - Southern NSW" (PDF). NSW Government - Roads and Maritime Services. April 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
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