Princes Motorway
Princes Motorway is a 62-kilometre (39 mi) predominantly dual carriage untolled motorway that links Sydney to Wollongong and further south through the Illawarra region to Oak Flats. Part of the Australian Highway 1 network, the motorway is designated route M1.
Princes Motorway F6 Freeway, Southern Freeway | |
|---|---|
| Princes Motorway near Helensburgh | |
North end South end | |
| Coordinates |
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| General information | |
| Type | Motorway |
| Length | 62.0 km (39 mi) |
| Opened | 1963–1989 (Southern section) 1975 (Northern section) |
| Gazetted | October 1975 |
| Route number(s) | M1 (2013–present) |
| Former route number |
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| Major junctions | |
| North end | Princes Highway Waterfall, Sydney |
| South end | Princes Highway Oak Flats, New South Wales |
| Location(s) | |
| Major suburbs / towns | Helensburgh, Wollongong, Figtree, Dapto |
| Highway system | |
The motorway is sometimes known by its previous signposting F6 (Freeway Route 6) and its previous name Southern Freeway, which applied to the sections between Waterfall and Bulli Tops as well as Gwynneville and Yallah. The section between Bulli Tops and Gwynneville was known as Mount Ousley Road, and was first built as a defence route and later upgraded to dual carriageway standards.
It is the backbone of road traffic in the Illawarra. As Wollongong and Port Kembla are important industrial centres, freight traffic is heavy. Despite the current decline of the local steel industry, emergence of Wollongong as a commuter city of Sydney has kept the motorway busy.