Summary
Prospect Highway is an 11.1-kilometre (6.9 mi)[1] secondary urban road linking Baulkham Hills and Pemulwuy in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The highway provides a free alternative link from the tolled M2 Hills and the Westlink M7 motorways in the northeast to the M4 Western Motorway in the southwest and further south. This name covers a few consecutive roads and is widely known to most drivers, but the entire allocation is also known – and signposted – by the names of its constituent parts: Abbott Road, Seven Hills Road, Wall Park Avenue, Blacktown Road and Prospect Highway proper.
Prospect Highway (numerous constituent roads) | |
|---|---|
  Northeast end Southwest end | |
| Coordinates |
|
| General information | |
| Type | Road |
| Length | 11.1 km (6.9 mi)[1] |
| Gazetted | August 1988[2] |
| Former route number |  State Route 63 (1992–1998)(Blacktown–Prospect) |
| Major junctions | |
| Northeast end |  M2 Hills MotorwayBaulkham Hills, Sydney |
| |
| Southwest end | Widemere Road Pemulwuy, Sydney |
| Location(s) | |
| Major suburbs | Seven Hills, Blacktown, Prospect |
Route edit
The highway takes its name from the suburb Prospect; like many highways in the Sydney area, it was formed by linking a series of local roads.
Prospect Highway starts at the intersection of Old Windsor Road and the eastbound ramps to M2 Hills Motorway as Abbotts Road and heads in a westerly direction as a four-lane, dual-carriageway road, where after a short distance it widens to a six-lane road and intersects with and changes name to Seven Hills Road, before reaching the intersection with Station Road and Johnson Avenue nearly immediately afterwards, where it changes name again to Prospect Highway. It narrows back to a four-lane road once it crosses the Main Western railway line, until it meets Seven Hills Road South, where it narrows to a single-carriageway road and heads west, changing name again to Wall Park Avenue. It widens again to a dual-carriageway road just before it intersects with and changes name to Blacktown Road, heading south and narrowing to a dual-lane, single carriageway road south of the intersection with Bungarribee Road. Blacktown Road splits off southeast after a short distance: the name changes again back to Prospect Highway and continues south through Prospect until it crosses over both Great Western Highway and M4 Western Motorway, continuing south until it eventually terminates at the intersection with the Liverpool–Parramatta Transitway in Pemulwuy; the road continues southwards as Widemere Road.[3]
History edit
The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924[4] 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). With the subsequent passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929[5] to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, the Department of Main Roads (having succeeded the MRB in 1932) declared Main Road 644 along Prospect Highway, from the intersection with Old Windsor Road in Seven Hills, along Abbott and Seven Hills Roads, Wall Park Avenue, Blacktown Road and Church Lane to the interchange with M4 Western Motorway in Prospect, on 26 August 1988.[2]
Church Lane, from Great Western Highway to Blacktown Road through Prospect, was officially renamed Prospect Highway on 5 April 1991.[6] Later, the section of Seven Hills Road, between the intersection with Station Road and Johnson Avenue, and the intersection with Wall Park Avenue in Seven Hills, was also officially renamed Prospect Highway on 27 November 1992.[7]
The passing of the Roads Act of 1993[8] updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Prospect Highway retains its declaration as Main Road 644.[9]
The route was allocated State Route 63 in 1992, between Blacktown and Prospect, but was removed a few years later in 1998. The entire route is currently unallocated.
Proposals edit
In 2015, the NSW Government Roads & Maritime Services commenced planning an upgrade of a 3.6-kilometre (2.2 mi) section of the highway between Reservoir Road in Prospect to St Martins Crescent in Blacktown.[10][11][12]
Exits and interchanges edit
| LGA | Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blacktown | Baulkham Hills–Seven Hills boundary | 0.0 | 0.0 | M2 Hills Motorway (M2 east) – Macquarie Park, Lane Cove, Sydney CBD | North-eastern terminus of highway, eastern end of Abbott Road South-eastbound entrance to and north west bound exit from motorway only |
  Old Windsor Road (A2 north, A40 south) – Windsor, Parramatta | |||||
| Seven Hills | 1.4 | 0.87 | Seven Hills Road (northeast) – Bella Vista | No right right turn westbound into Seven Hills Road at T-intersection Western end of Abbott Road, southeastern end of Seven Hills Road | |
| 1.6 | 0.99 | Johnson Avenue (north) – Kings Langley Station Road (south) – Toongabbie | Southwestern end of Seven Hills Road, northeastern end of Prospect Highway | ||
| 2.6 | 1.6 | Main Western railway line | |||
| 3.1 | 1.9 | Seven Hills Road South (south) – Prospect | Southwestern end of Prospect Highway, eastern end of Wall Park Avenue at T-intersection | ||
| Blacktown | 4.2 | 2.6 | Blacktown Road (west) – Blacktown | Western end of Wall Park Avenue, northern end of Blacktown Road at T-intersection | |
| Seven Hills–Blacktown boundary | 4.6 | 2.9 | Bungarribee Road (west) – Blacktown, Doonside Leabons Lane (east) – Toongabbie | ||
| 6.1 | 3.8 | Blacktown Road (southeast) – Toongabbie | Southern end of Blacktown Road, northern end of Prospect Highway at T-intersection | ||
| Prospect | 7.2 | 4.5 |  Great Western Highway (A44) – Wentworthville, Rooty Hill | Modified diamond interchange, westbound entrance and exit from Great Western Highway via Ponds Road | |
| 7.6 | 4.7 |  M4 Western Motorway (M4) – Penrith, Eastern Creek, Parramatta, Sydney CBD | Diamond interchange | ||
| 8.1 | 5.0 | Reservoir Road – Prospect Reservoir | |||
| Cumberland | Pemulwuy | 11.1 | 6.9 | Widemere Road – Wetherill Park | Southern terminus of highway, continues south as Widemere Road |
| |||||
See also edit
- Prospect Hill, a prominent hill located near the highway
References edit
- ^ a b c Google (20 July 2023). "Prospect Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ a b "State Roads Act". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 138. National Library of Australia. 26 August 1988. p. 4505. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "Map of Blacktown Road, NSW". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ "Local Government Act, 1919". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 54. National Library of Australia. 5 April 1991. p. 2747. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "Local Government Act, 1919". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 140. National Library of Australia. 27 November 1992. p. 8578. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ 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
- ^ Transport for NSW (August 2022). "Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "Prospect Highway upgrade". Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ "Detailed design contract awarded for Prospect Highway upgrade". Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ Oxford, Jessica (20 April 2016). "Call to upgrade Blacktown bottlenecks and end traffic chaos". Blacktown Advocate. Retrieved 25 October 2016.