The New South Wales Government has announced it will start changing its road signs from early next year as part of a project to standardise the system across all states.

 

The alpha-numeric system is currently used in Queensland and Victoria and identifies road corridors in order of their importance.

 

NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay said this is a system used widely around the world. The aim is to make it easier for motorists to know if they are travelling on a motorway or a route of national or state significance as they plan their trip.

 

“This system will include M, A and B roads with a numbering system attached to each. The A roads will be numbered from 1 to 49, while the B routes will be numbered 50 to 99,” Mr Gay said. 

 

M - Motorway

 

A - Route of national significance

 

B - Route of state significance

 

A number of important routes outside the Sydney orbital road network will be renamed as motorways and assigned an ‘M’ route marker.

 

  • The Sydney to Newcastle Freeway (commonly known as the ‘F3’) will become part of theM1 Pacific Motorway.
  • The Pacific Highway between the Queensland border and north of Byron Bay will now be part of the M1 Pacific Motorway.
  • The Southern Freeway and Mount Ousley Road from Waterfall to Albion Park Rail will become the M1 Princes Motorway.
  • The M4 will become the M4 Western Motorway between Lapstone and Concord.ï‚· The Hume Highway will be named the M31 Hume Motorway from the M5 at Prestons to Berrima, after which it will revert to the Hume Highway. The route will however retain the alpha numeric route marker M31.
  • The Federal Highway will remain the Federal Highway, however with the new alphanumeric route marker M23.

 

Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) has consulted ahead of this decision with emergency services and Destination NSW. RMS has prepared information on the changes including materials which can be used by tourist operators and mapping agencies