- Albany Highway
Infobox Australian Road
road_name = Albany Highway
route_
route_
route_
photo = Albany Highway Cannington.jpg
caption = Albany Highway at Cannington
length = 410
direction = Northwest-Southeast
start =
finish = Middleton Road,Albany, Western Australia
est =
through = East Victoria Park, Cannington, Gosnells, Kelmscott, Armadale, North Bannister, Williams, Arthur River, Kojonup, Cranbrook, Mount Barker, Narrikup, Orana
route = State Route 30
exits = Shepperton Road,Leach Highway , Manning Road, Nicholson Road,Roe Highway ,Tonkin Highway ,Brookton Highway , Armadale Road/South Western Highway ,Coalfields Road ,Great Southern Highway ,Muirs Highway ,South Coast Highway "for full list see
Major Intersections"Albany Highway is a generally northwest-southeast highway in the south of
Western Australia which links the state's capital Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany. The highway is approximately convert|410|km|lk=on in length, is designated "State Route 30" and separates Western Australia's Great Southern region from its South West region. Outside of Perth the highway is a sealed single carriageway with regular overtaking lanes in some undulating areas.History
It was originally called Albany Road and was first proposed in 1853 by Lt William Crossman of the Royal Engineers, who examined and reported on various possible Perth-Albany routes. The road was originally built of wood block and limestone by convicts in the 1850s, and was later sealed.
Description
Metropolitan road
Departing Perth, the highway commences at the Causeway interchange in Victoria Park and for its first 4 km is a two-lane high street serving Victoria Park's town centre, while nearby four-lane Shepperton Road serves as the area's main conduit of traffic (it also carries the "Route 30").
At Welshpool Road, the two roads merge and for 26 km Albany Highway serves as the main route for Perth's southeastern region, varying between a four- and six-lane mostly undivided carriageway. Due to the highway's evolution, this part of the highway is dominated by commercial shopping precincts in Bentley, Cannington, Maddington, Gosnells and Kelmscott and drivers must negotiate countless sets of
traffic lights . One of Perth's most infamous stretches of roads is Albany Highway in Cannington. Due to the high volume of commuters making their way toWestfield Carousel , this section has become frequently gridlocked since its redevelopment in the late nineties. It is recommended that this section be bypassed via the Kenwick Link, the Tonkin & Leach Highways, and Welshpool Road (East), Orrong Road, and Manning Road. In the Perth section of the highway,Tonkin Highway to the east carries most of the north-south heavy vehicle traffic, and Albany Highway is used mostly by light vehicles.Regional highway
At Armadale the highway doglegs east (the road that continues straight ahead is
South Western Highway ). As one keeps heading south-south-east, signs of human activity becomes more sparse as the highway crosses the Darling Scarp, and the scenery transitions to native forest. Further south it transitions again to pastureland, with farming activities being mostly livestock rearing and some orchards. Albany Highway serves as something of an express route, with the service towns in the region being located approximately 30 km to the east alongGreat Southern Highway - in particular Narrogin, Wagin and Katanning.Closer to Albany, there are large tracts of
blue gum eucalypt plantations. In terms of safety, the road is generally free of hazards caused by straying farm animals, though as with most rural and remote Australian roads, kangaroos are an everpresent danger.The only major towns on the road between Perth and Albany are Williams, Kojonup and Mount Barker, with roadhouses at North Bannister, Crossman and Arthur River.
Major intersections
wan River to Welshpool Road
For its first 4 km, Albany Highway is a two-lane high street serving Victoria Park's town centre, while nearby four-lane Shepperton Road serves as the area's main conduit of traffic (it also carries the "Route 30").
As Albany Highway is not limited access, a large number of the roads that Albany Highway are connected to are not controlled. The major interchanges are at-grade and controlled.
*Causeway Interchange, Victoria Park and Burswood
** to Perth CBD;
**;
**; and
**.*Duncan Street/McMillan Street, Victoria Park
*Mint Street, East Victoria Park
*Oats Street/Hill View Terrace, East Victoria Park*Interchange, St James and East Victoria Park
** Shepperton Road to Perth;
**(Former )Welshpool Road to Armadale Road
Signed as :
*John Street/Ashburton Street, Bentley
*
*
*Cecil Avenue, Cannington (atWestfield Carousel
*
*
*Wanaping Road/Royal Street, Kenwick
*
*Kelvin Road/Olga Road, Maddington (to Centro Maddington, Huntingdale and Canning Vale
*
*Ferres Drive, Gosnells (was terminus of Tonkin Highway until 2005)
*
*Denny Avenue/Gilwell Street, Kelmscott (at Kelmscott Village)
** Interchange, Armadale and Bedfordale
**
**
** Albany Highway.Beyond Perth metropolitan area
Albany Highway then doglegs east, and continues to leave the Perth metropolitan area.
*
* ("at North Bannister") to Wandering
* ("at Bannister") to Boddington
* ("at Crossman") to Boddington, Wandering and Pingelly
* ("at Williams") → to Boddington, Dwellingup, Collie and Darkan
* ("at Williams") ← to Narrogin, Wickepin and Kulin
*
*
* ("at Kojonup") to Katanning, Broomehill, Gnowangerup and Boyup Brook
*
*
* ("at Mount Barker") toStirling Range National Park andPorongorup National Park Albany
* Interchange, Orana
**
**
** North Road to Middleton Beach and Emu Point
** Hanrahan Road to Frenchman Bay* Interchange, Albany
** York Street (Albany CBD and Port)
** Lockyer Avenue to Centennial Park and Spencer Park
** Middleton Road to Middleton Beachee also
*
Highways in Australia
*List of highways in Western Australia References
*cite book | first=Leigh | last=Edmonds | title=The vital link: a history of Main Roads Western Australia 1926-1996 | publisher=University of Western Australia Press | location=Nedlands, Western Australia | year=1997 | id=ISBN 1-875560-87-4
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