Riverina Highway

Riverina Highway

Riverina Highway through Berrigan (as Chanter Street, where it meets Jerilderie Street)
General information
TypeHighway
Length220 km (137 mi)[1]
GazettedAugust 1928 (as Main Road 212)[2]
March 1938 (as State Highway 20)[3]
Route number(s) B58 (2013–present)
(East Albury–Deniliquin)
Former
route number
National Route 58 (1974–2013)
Entire route
Major junctions
East end Murray River Road
Hume Weir, New South Wales
 
West end Cobb Highway
Deniliquin, New South Wales
Location(s)
Major settlementsAlbury, Howlong, Berrigan, Finley
Highway system

Riverina Highway is a 220-kilometre (140 mi)-long[1] state highway located in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia.[4] The road was constructed over several decades with final asphalt concrete sealing completed during the 1960s.[5]

Route

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The eastern terminus of Riverina Highway is located on the eastern shore of the Hume Weir, which impounds the Murray River, east of Albury. The Bethanga Bridge carries the highway across the weir as the highway generally heads west by northwest, following the course of the Murray River to reach its western terminus at Deniliquin. West of Albury, the highway passes through or near the Riverina towns of Howlong, Corowa, Berrigan and Finley where it has a short concurrency with Newell Highway. From this point the highway follows the Mulwala Canal westward until it reaches Deniliquin, terminating at its junction with Cobb Highway.[6]

The highway passes irrigated farms, orchards and vineyards. It links this area to major markets in Sydney via Hume Highway in Albury, and in Melbourne via the C371 in Berrigan or Cobb Highway in Deniliquin. The highway is also a popular tourist route with scenic countryside, fishing and historic spots along its path.

History

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The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924[7] 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). Main Road No. 131 was declared from Hopefield to Lowesdale (and continuing north via Daysdale to Urana),[2] and Main Road No. 212 was declared from the intersection with Hume Highway in Albury, via Howlong to Corowa (and continuing westwards via Tocumwal and Tuppal to the intersection with Moama-Booligal Road, today Cobb Highway, in Deniliquin),[2] on the same day, 8 August 1928.

The Department of Main Roads, which had succeeded the New South Wales MRB in 1932, later truncated the western end of Main Road 212 to terminate at Tocumwal, and Main Road No. 331 was declared from Deniliquin via Finley to Berrigan on the same day, 21 February 1933.[8] Main Road No. 355 was declared on 23 September 1936, from Albury to the state border with Victoria at Bethanga.[9]

State Highway 20 was declared on 16 March 1938, from the intersection with State Highway 17 (later known as Newell Highway) at Tocumwal via Corowa, Howlong and Albury to the state border with Victoria at Bethanga, subsuming Main Roads 212 and 355.[3] Its western end was re-aligned on 1 February 1950, running from Corowa via Hopefield, Lowesdale, Berrigan and Finley to Denilquin (subsuming Main Road 331);[10] Main Road 131 was truncated to Lowesdale as a result, and the former alignment to Tocumwal was re-declared as Main Road 86 (between the intersection with State Highway 20 just north of Corowa to the state border with Victoria just outside Wahgunyah) and Main Road 550 (between Corowa and Tocumwal).[10] State Highway 20 was named Riverina Highway on 15 September 1954,[11] after the Riverina region the highway runs through.

Riverina Highway was signed National Route 58 across its entire length in 1974. With the conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in 2013, this was replaced with route B58 between East Albury and Deniliquin; from East Albury eastwards to the Victorian border has been left unallocated.[12]

Major junctions

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StateLGALocationkm[1]miDestinationsNotes
VictoriaTowongBellbridge00.0 Murray River Road (C542) – Towong, TallangattaEastern terminus of highway; road continues east as Murray River Road
State borderVictoria – New South Wales state border
New South WalesMurray RiverBethanga Bridge[13]
Greater HumeLake Hume Village31.9Trout Farm Road, to Bonegilla Road (C541) – BonegillaT intersection
AlburyEast Albury169.9 Hume Highway (M31) – Holbrook, Goulburn, Sydney, MelbourneDiamond interchange; eastern terminus of route B58
Albury16.210.1Young Street (north) – North Albury
Guinea Street (west) – Albury
Controlled four-way intersection
1711Atkins Street – AlburyT intersection
1912Hume Street (west) – Albury
Wodonga Place (south), to Lincoln Causeway (C319) – Wodonga
4-way intersection
19.211.9Wodonga Place (north) – Albury
Smollett Street (east) – Albury
Roundabout
FederationHowlong4830Hawkins Street (west) – Howlong
Sturt Street (south), to Chiltern-Howlong Road (C381) – Chiltern
4-way intersection
Hopefield6943Honour Avenue – Corowa, RutherglenT intersection
BerriganBerrigan14188Jerilderie Road – JerilderieT intersection
Finley163101 Newell Highway (A39 south) – Tocumwal, SheppartonT intersection, concurrency with Newell Highway
163.5101.6 Newell Highway (A39 north) – Narrandera, West Wyalong, Dubbo
Edward RiverDeniliquin220140 Cobb Highway (B75) – Wilcannia, Hay, EchucaRoundabout, western terminus of highway and route B58
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 "Riverina Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "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 "Main Roads Act, 1924-1937". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 46. National Library of Australia. 25 March 1938. p. 1223. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  4. ^ Riverina Highway, Ozroads: the Australian Roads Website. Retrieved 25 May 2008.[self-published source]
  5. ^ "Reconstruction of the Riverina Highway Site Tour". Engineers Australia. March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Map of the Riverina Highway, NSW". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ "Main Roads Act, 1924-1931". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 34. National Library of Australia. 3 March 1933. p. 883. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Main Roads Act, 1924-1936". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 154. National Library of Australia. 2 October 1936. p. 4147. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Main Roads Act, 1924-1949". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 29. National Library of Australia. 17 February 1950. p. 440. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Main Roads Act, 1924-1954". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 168. National Library of Australia. 15 October 1954. p. 3137. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ Riverina Highway upgrade: Location map (PDF) (Map). Roads & Maritime Services, Government of New South Wales. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
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