Length:

332 km

Termini:

Northern: Hume Hwy (M31), Mundarlo

Southern: Princes Hwy (A1), Stony Creek

Miscellaneous:

Route is co-signed with Monaro Hwy (B23) between Steeple Flat and Cooma

Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:

Stony Creek, Coopers Gully, Numbugga, Morans Crossing, Bemboka, Steeple Flat, Nimmitabel, Rock Flat, Middle Flat, Cooma, Pine Valley, Coolringdon, Wambrook, Rhine Falls, Dry Plain, Adaminaby, Nungar, Providence Portal, Gooandra, Broken Dam, Kiandra, Yarrangobilly, Pinbeyan, Bogong Peaks Wilderness, Talbingo, Blowering, Wermatong, Tumut, Gilmore, Gadara, Adelong, Sandy Gully, Darlow, Bangadang and Mundarlo

Current: B72

Multiplexed with: B23 6

Road Authority Internal Classification: ¹

HW4 (Stony Creek to Nimmitabel and Cooma to Mundarlo)

HW19 (Cooma to Steeple Flat)

General Information:

Snowy Mountains Highway is a route that connects the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales with the far south coast via the Great Dividing Range and Snowy Mountains. it's mostly a 2-lane undivided rural highway, passing through farmland, residential and commercial regions. Large tracts of the route pass through national parks and traverse very hilly and steep terrain.

The route links the Princes Hwy (A1), Monaro Hwy (B23) and Hume Hwy (M31). The highest town along the highway is Kiandra, at a height of 1400 metres. ²

B23 (Monaro Hwy), for 43 km, between Steeple Flat and Cooma.

Tourist Drive 6, for 27 km, between Adelong and Mundarlo.

1903: Original timber beam bridges over Adelong Creek and Adelong Flood Channels built. ³

1936: Work commences on the bridge over Bemboka River at Morans Crossing. ⁴

1955: Monaro Highway between Tumut to Tathra renamed Snowy Mountains Highway. ⁵

13 July 1955: Snowy Mountains Highway between Tathra to Nimmitabel and then Cooma to Mundarlo proclaimed as State Highway No. 4. ⁶

1957: Completion of realignment of Snowy Mountains Hwy around Old Adaminaby due to dam construction. The route was relocated through the new Adaminaby township. ⁷ A proposal to raise the road height between the fifth and sixth mile posts east of Bega at Jellat Jellat gazetted. ⁸

October 1958: Snowy Mountains Highway between Cooma and Nimmitabel declared Monaro Highway. ⁵

1960: Current alignment of Snowy Mountains Highway in the Stony Creek area near Bega opened to traffic. ⁹

1964: Construction commenced on the Hanson Creek deviation, 10 miles from Bega, eliminating a longer and winding stretch of road. 1 new bridge was included in the construction, eliminating 2 existing ones. Sealing of 2.5 miles of highway on the Cooma side of Nimmitabel completed a sealed route between Cooma and Nimmitabel. ¹⁰

February 1965: Work started on a six-mile deviation on the Snowy Mountains Highway from Nimmitabel to the McLachlan River. The scope of works included a high level bridge constructed over the McLachlan River. The deviation eliminated a level crossing, two high level bridges and a railway underground by-pass. ¹¹ Reconstruction and sealing of highway between Bega and Nimmitabel announced. ¹²

July 1966: The then divisional engineer of the NSW Department of Main Roads, Mr J, Neeson, announced a new route would of the Snowy Mountains Highway would reduce road closures due to snow. The deviation started at Big Bog, on Brown Mountain in a westerly direction, skirting the southern side of Pole Hill, joining the existing highway a few miles south of Nimmitabel. The new road section ascended to an altitude of 3700 ft, 400 ft lower than the old highway. ¹³

1967: Stabilisation work on sections of Kosciusko Road and the Snowy Mountains Highway near Kiandra. Sections of the road were damaged by erosion. The cost of the work was estimated at $530 000. ¹⁴

1968: An $89 218 bridge built over Gilmore Creek on a 1.7 mile deviation of the Snowy Mountains Highway, south of Tumut. ¹⁵ A new bridge built over Yaven Creek at a cost of $147 895. The bridge replaced a low level timber bridge at a spot subject to flooding near Mt Adrah on the Snowy Mountains Highway between Adelong and the Hume Highway. ¹⁶

1972: Erosion control works costing $23,000, on a section of the Snowy Mountains Highway adjacent to the Blowering Dam undertaken. The works were performed to help stop eroded material being washed into the Blowering Dam storage. ¹⁷

April 1980: Tenders invited for the construction of a new bridge over Nunnock River, 41 km west of Bega. ¹⁸

1980s: A deviation of the route in the Nunnock River area at the base of Brown Mountain. ¹⁹

2003: Replacement of the bridges over Slacks Creek, 10 km west of Cooma and Butlers Creek, 18 km west of Bega. ²⁰

February 2010: Work commences on a new 62 metre long concrete bridge over Adelong Creek and Adelong Flood Channel. The original structures were demolished as part of the project. ³

17 December 2010: Replacement bridge over Adelong Creek and Adelong Flood Channel opens to traffic. ³

17 February 2011: Official opening and naming ceremony of the replacement bridge over Adelong Creek and Adelong Flood Channel. ³

2013: National Route 18 replaced by B72 route number.