Northern Expressway

Fatchen Northern Expressway

South Australia
The Northern Expressway looking north, halfway along the expressway
Coordinates
General information
TypeFreeway
Length20.9 km (13 mi)[1]
Opened13 September 2010
Route number(s) M2 (2016–present)
Former
route number		 National Highway M20 (2010–2016)
Major junctions
Northeast end Sturt Highway
Gawler, Adelaide
 
Southwest end Northern Connector
Waterloo Corner, Adelaide
Location(s)
RegionNorthern Adelaide, Barossa Light and Lower North[2]
Major suburbs / townsAngle Vale, Penfield
Highway system

Northern Expressway, also known as the Fatchen Northern Expressway,[3][4] is a 21 kilometre long controlled-access highway in Adelaide, South Australia. Since March 2020, the North–South Motorway continues west of Port Wakefield Highway and intersects the Port River Expressway to reach the harbour at Port Adelaide. These are the northernmost two parts of the North–South Corridor.

Cycling is not permitted on the Expressway. The Stuart O'Grady Bikeway is a sealed shared cycling and walking path adjacent to the eastern side of the expressway. The northern end connects to the on-ramp from Two Wells Road to the Gawler Bypass Road, and the southern end is adjacent to Port Wakefield Road at Mill Road.

Route

Northern Expressway starts at the grade-separated interchange with the Sturt Highway in Gawler. It heads southwest, just beyond the northern fringes of suburban Adelaide, to the Port Wakefield Highway at Waterloo Corner. The road has been built to a four-lane standard and provides a faster route between northern Adelaide and Gawler, relieving pressure mostly from Main North Road and other roads through Adelaide's northeastern suburbs. It allows freight vehicles to avoid residential areas and go straight to Port Wakefield Road.

History

The largest road project undertaken in South Australia in at least sixty years, the expressway was delivered at a cost of approximately A$564 million jointly funded by the South Australian and Commonwealth Governments. The Design and Construct contract was awarded to the Fulton Hogan York Joint Venture, a partnership between trans-Tasman contractor Fulton Hogan and South Australian based York Civil.[5]

The design joint venture, managed by Fulton Hogan York Joint Venture, consisted of Maunsell, SMEC and Dare Sutton Clark. The work included an 8 km upgrade of the existing Port Wakefield Road. Part of the cost was covered by the AusLink national transport funding.[6]

Construction began in 2008. The road opened in September 2010.[7]

The interchanges/bridges along the expressway were all named after famous battles in which Australian forces fought, such as Long Tan, Kokoda, Tobruk, Kapyong and Hamel.

In November 2013, one year after the death of prominent South Australian author and journalist Max Fatchen, the Northern Expressway was given the dual name "Fatchen Northern Expressway" in his honour.[3][4]

In December 2019, a bushfire started on the Northern Expressway at Angle Vale. This affected people in Hillier, Munno Para Downs, Kudla, Munno Para West and Gawler.

In February 2020, the on ramp from northbound on Port Wakefield Road was permanently closed. Three weeks later, the Northern Connector project was opened, continuing the freeway south from the Northern Expressway as the North–South Motorway.

Exit list

Looking south along Port Wakefield Road towards the interchange at the start of the Northern Expressway in 2010
LGA[8]Location[1][9]km[1]miNameDestinationsNotes
LightWard Belt–Reid–Buchfelde tripoint0.00.0 Sturt Highway (A20) – Nuriootpa, Renmark, MilduraNortheastern terminus of expressway and route M2
Buchfelde–Gawler River boundary4.12.5Long Tan Two Wells Road (B77) – Two Wells, GawlerSouthwest-bound entrance and northeast-bound exit only
Gawler River5.13.2Bridge over the river (bridge name unknown)
PlayfordHillier–Munno Para Downs–Angle Vale tripoint7.54.7KapyongAngle Vale Road – Angle Vale, Virginia, Evanston
Munno Para West–Andrews Farm–Angle Vale–MacDonald Park quadripoint10.86.7KokodaCurtis Road – Andrews Farm, Angle Vale
Penfield Gardens–MacDonald Park–Penfield tripoint15.19.4TobrukHeaslip Road – Edinburgh, RAAF Base Edinburgh
Penfield Gardens–Penfield boundary17.310.7HamelPenfield Road – VirginiaSouthwest bound entrance and northeast bound exit only
Penfield–Waterloo Corner–Virginia–Penfield Gardens quadripoint18.811.7Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line
Waterloo Corner–Virginia boundary20.913.0 Port Wakefield Road (A1 south) – Burton, AdelaideNo entrance from or exit to Port Wakefield Road northbound
Northern Connector (M2 southwest) – Bolivar, WingfieldSouthwestern terminus of expressway, route M2 continues southwest along Northern Connector

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Google (29 June 2022). "Northern Expressway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Location SA Map viewer with regional layers". Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 "'Fatchen' a tourist name". The Bunyip. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  4. 1 2 "More than memory lane: Fatchen's expressway". ABC News. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  5. ↑ Paul Starick (15 November 2006). "Major expressway opens up north". The Advertiser. Retrieved 15 November 2006.
  6. ↑ Paul Starick (15 November 2006). "Major expressway opens up north". The Advertiser. Retrieved 15 November 2006.
  7. ↑ Tom Zed, Transport reporter (13 September 2010). "Northern Expressway open for business". Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  8. ↑ "Location SA Map viewer with LGA layers". Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Location SA Map viewer with suburb layers". Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2022.

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