Bruxner Highway

Bruxner Highway

Bruxner Way

New South Wales
Bruxner Highway at Drake.
General information
TypeHighway
Length420 km (261 mi)[1]
GazettedAugust 1928 (as Main Road 64)[2]
March 1938 (as State Highway 16)[3]
Route number(s) B60 (2013–present)
(Tenterfield–West Ballina)
Former
route number		 National Route 44 (1974–2013)
(Tenterfield–West Ballina)
Major junctions
Bruxner Way
West end Newell Highway
Boggabilla, New South Wales
 Warialda Road
East end New England Highway
Tenterfield, New South Wales
Bruxner Highway
West end New England Highway
Tenterfield, New South Wales
 
East end Pacific Highway
West Ballina, New South Wales
Location(s)
Major settlementsYetman, Bonshaw, Tenterfield, Drake, Tabulam, Casino, Lismore, Alstonville
Highway system

Bruxner Highway, and its former western alignment as Bruxner Way, are a 420-kilometre (260 mi)[1] state highway and rural road respectively, located in New South Wales, Australia. The route forms an east–west link across the Northern Tablelands in northern New South Wales, close to the border with Queensland, to the Northern Rivers coast. It was named after Michael Bruxner, NSW Minister for Transport from 1932 to 1941.[4][5]

Route

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Bruxner Way commences at the intersection with Newell Highway in Boggabilla and heads in a south-easterly direction, tracking close to the southern bank of the Macintyre River until it reaches Yetman, then heads east where it reaches the turn-off to Texas (just across the border in Queensland), then continues in an easterly direction, tracking close to the southern bank of the Dumaresq River and Tenterfield Creek until it eventually terminates at an intersection with New England Highway just north of Tenterfield. Bruxner Highway commences at the intersection with Newell Highway in central Tenterfield and continues in an easterly direction through Tabulam until it reaches Casino, where it meets Summerland Way. The highway continues east through Lismore and Alstonville until eventually terminating at an interchange with Pacific Highway in West Ballina.

The speed limits along Bruxner Highway are mostly 100 km/h with 80 km/h on windy sections and 50 km/h in urban areas. The speed limit is 60 km/h through the Lismore urban area with a high volume of traffic. There is a speed camera in the 80 km/h section near the Lismore City and Ballina Shire boundary.

History

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Ballina St. road bridge, carrying the Bruxner Highway across the Wilsons River at Lismore (panorama)

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 Transport for NSW). Main Road No. 63 was declared from Yetman to Boggabilla (and continuing northwards to the state border with Queensland at Goondiwindi, and southwards via Warialda and Bingara to the intersection with Great Northern Highway, today New England Highway, at Tamworth,[2] Main Road No. 64 was declared from the intersection with North Coast Highway (today Pacific Highway) at Ballina, via Lismore and Casino to the intersection with Great Northern Highway at Tenterfield,[2] and Main Road No. 138 was declared from Tenterfield via Bonshaw to the state border with Queensland at Texas.[2] 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 63 and 64 and Main Road 138 on 8 April 1929. Main Road 138 was later extended westwards from Texas to meet Trunk Road 63 at Yetman, with a branch to the state border with Queensland at Texas, on 22 January 1935.[8]

The Department of Main Roads, which had succeeded the MRB in 1932, declared State Highway 16 on 16 March 1938, from the intersection with Pacific Highway at Ballina via Lismore, Casino, Tabluam, Tenterfield, Bonshaw, Yetman and Boggabilla to the state border with Queensland at Goondiwindi, subsuming Trunk Road 64, and most of Main Road 138 from Yetman to Tenterfield;[3] the southern end of Trunk Road 63 was truncated to meet Bruxner Highway at Yetman, and Main Road 138 was truncated from the bridge over the Dumaresq River at Texas to the intersection with Bruxner Highway, as a result.[3] State Highway 16 was named Bruxner Highway on 2 November 1959,[9] in honour of Sir Michael Bruxner, member for Northern Tablelands and Tenterfield from 1920 to 1962, leader of the New South Wales Country Party for almost all that period and Deputy Premier and Minister for Transport from 1932 to 1941.[4]

The passing of the Roads Act of 1993[10] 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 declaration of Highway 16 from West Ballina was truncated at Tenterfield, and Main Road 462 was declared along the former alignment from Tenterfield via Bonshaw and Yetman to Boggabilla, on 23 April 2010.[11] Main Road 462 was named Bruxner Way in 2011, however much of the road still shows signage as Bruxner Highway, and few signs have been replaced stating its new identity. Bruxner Highway today retains its declaration as Highway 16, from the intersection with New England Highway in Tenterfield to the intersection with Pacific Highway in West Ballina.[12]

Bruxner Highway was signed National Route 44 in 1974, between Ballina and Tenterfield. It was intended that National Route 44 continued to Boggabilla to meet with Newell Highway, however this part of the highway was never signed as National Route 44. With the conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in 2013, this was replaced with route B60 between Ballina and Tenterfield.[13]

Upgrades

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At Alstonville, a 6.5km-long bypass was completed in 2010 at the cost of $44 million.[14] There is a proposal for a fully duplicated highway from the interchange with Pacific Highway to Lismore Airport.

Major intersections

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LGALocationkm[1]miDestinationsNotes
Moree PlainsBoggabilla00.0 Newell Highway (A39) – Moree, GoondiwindiWestern terminus of Bruxner Way at T-intersection
7.94.9Boggabilla–Warialda Road – North Star, Warialda
InverellYetman60.437.5Warialda Road – Warialda, Inverell
Bebo10163Texas Road – Texas
Bonshaw13081Inverell–Bonshaw Road – Ashford, Inverell
TenterfieldTenterfield230140 New England Highway (A15 north) – Stanthorpe, WarwickEastern terminus of Bruxner Way
Gap in route
TenterfieldTenterfield235146 Rouse Street (New England Highway) (A15 south) – Glen Innes, TamworthWestern terminus of highway and route B60
Clarence River306190Tabulam Bridge
KyogleTabulam314195Clarence Way – Baryulgil, Grafton
Richmond ValleyCasino361224 Centre Street (Summerland Way) (B91 south)  – GraftonRoundabout; southern terminus of concurrency with route B91
Richmond River362225Irving Bridge
Richmond ValleyCasino363226 Johnston Street (Summerland Way) (B91 north) – Kyogle, WoodenbongRoundabout; northern terminus of concurrency with route B91
LismoreSouth Lismore391243Union Street (north), to Nimbin Road – Nimbin
Elliot Road (west) – South Lismore		Roundabout
Wilsons River392244Ballina Street Bridge
LismoreLismore393244 Dawson Street, to Bangalow Road (B62) – Clunes, Bangalow, Byron BayRoundabout
BallinaWest Ballina420260River Street – BallinaRoundabout interchange
Pacific Highway (A1) – Brisbane, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, SydneyEastern terminus of highway and route B60
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Bruxner Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  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 c "Main Roads Act, 1924-1937". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 46. National Library of Australia. 25 March 1938. pp. 1222–3. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b Aitkin, Don. "Bruxner, Sir Michael Frederick (1882–1970)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 5 April 2007.
  5. ^ "The Bruxner Highway" (PDF). Main Roads. Department of Main Roads, Government of New South Wales: 59–68. March 1968. Retrieved 6 November 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, 1924-1931". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 31. National Library of Australia. 8 February 1935. p. 523. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Main Roads Act, 1924-1954". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 129. National Library of Australia. 20 August 1954. p. 2545. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  10. ^ 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
  11. ^ "Roads Act 1993" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 56. NSW Legislation. 23 April 2010. p. 1963. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "Alstonville Bypass". SEE Civil Group. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
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Media related to Bruxner Highway at Wikimedia Commons

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