Expressway - The Australian Highway Site: Road Photos & Information: NSW: M31 (Goulburn to Yass)

Road Photos & Information: New South Wales

Hume Motorway and Hume Highway (M31)

Goulburn to Yass

Statistics:

Length:: 513 km (Goulburn to Yass: 82 km).
Termini:: Northern: Westlink (M7) and South Western Mwy (M5) at Prestons.; Southern: NSW-VIC Border at Albury.
Miscellaneous:: Continues as Hume Freeway (M31) at the Victorian border.
Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:: Bredalbane, Gunning and Yass.

Route Numbering:

Current: M31
Former: 31 31
Road Authority Internal Classification: ¹: HW2.

General Information:

The Hume Highway is one of Australia's most vital highway links. Providing access between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's 2 largest cities. The National Highway section of the Hume Highway consists of 100% dual carriageway road, either rural expressway or motorway standard.

In NSW, the highway in one form or another started life as the Great South Road, linking Sydney with the southern highlands and eventually beyond. The highway was named in 1928 after Hamilton Hume (1797-1873), a famous explorer in the early 19th century who, in 1824, in conjunction with William Hovell first found an overland route between Sydney and the infant colonial outpost of Port Phillip, the original name of Melbourne.

M31 is the main freight and commuter route between Sydney and Melbourne and has gone through a massive amount of transformation over the past 30 or so years, with many towns being bypassed along its route as well and gradual upgrades to motorway standards. Since the 1960s, the road has either been duplicated, where alignments allow for it, and also large deviations have also been part of the upgrade process.

The route around the Mittagong area averages around 16 000 vehicles every day, in other sections the number drops off a little or closer to Sydney increases. ²

The route forms the Remembrance Driveway which honours war veterans.

Here are some interesting statistics on the Hume Highway bypasses: ³

: The Cullerin Range Deviation consists of 34 km of dual carriageway.; 17 km of dual carriageways between the Cullerin Range Deviation and the Yass Bypass.; The Yass Bypass, has 15 bridges and 18 km of dual carriageways.

History:

: 1914: Sydney-Melbourne road (Great South Road) is declared a main road.; 1920: Cullerin Range route built on abandoned sections of the old Main Southern Railway.; 1928: Sections of Great South Road renamed to Hume Highway.; 1939: 95% (557 km) of the Hume Highway paved with a bituminous surface. ⁴; 1950s: In 1952, a group of citizens met and formed a committee under Lt-General Sir Frank Berryman to create a national memorial to servicemen by using trees and shrubs as living memorials. The NSW Premier, J J Cahill, officially launched the scheme on 9 December 1953. The Remembrance Driveway project as it was called started on 5 February 1954, when trees were planted at either end of the Driveway at the War Memorial, Canberra, and in Macquarie Place, Sydney, by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. By June 1959, 10 000 trees had been planted. Since then, planting of trees in avenues or groves has continued. When the M5 Motorway replaced the Hume Highway (and also Camden Valley Way) south of Liverpool, it became the focus for planting trees and shrubs in remembrance. ³; 1960s: The route over the Mundoonen Range rebuilt in the 1960s - it was designed to be duplicated.; 1972: Completion of the grade separated interchange between Hume Hwy and Federal Hwy at Wollogorang, south of Goulburn. Also computer based roadsign design trialled for the first time. The first signs designed using the system were for installation on the Hume Hwy at Yass. ⁴; 1994: Most of the highway route between Breadalbane, west of Goulburn, and Derringullen Creek, west of Yass, was deviated. This included a bypassing of the Cullerin Range.; 2013: National Highway 31 replaced by M31.

Goulburn to Yass

Reassurance Directional Sign:

Distance sign at Run O' Waters, September 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign approaching Federal Hwy (M23) at Yarra, September 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:

Supplemental AD sign approaching Federal Hwy (M23) at Yarra, November 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign approaching Federal Hwy (M23) at Yarra, November 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Federal Highway Interchange:

Hume Hwy (M31) at the Federal Hwy (M23) interchange at Wollogorang, September 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Distance Sign:

RD sign after the Barton Hwy (A25) interchange at Yass, September 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign approaching Yass Valley Way (former Hume Hwy) at Yass, September 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Yass Valley Way Interchange:

Hume Hwy (M31) as it passes through the Yass Valley Way interchange in Yass, September 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign on Yass Valley Way at Yass approaching the Service Centre, showing M31, September 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Intersection Directional Sign:

ID sign on Yass Valley Way at Yass at the roundabout with the Service Centre, showing M31, September 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:

Supplemental AD sign on Yass Valley Way approaching the Hume Hwy (M31) interchange in Yass, September 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign on Yass Valley Way approaching the Hume Hwy (M31) interchange in Yass, September 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Lane Allocation Sign:

Lane allocation sign on Yass Valley Way at the Hume Hwy (M31) interchange in Yass, September 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

Yass to Goulburn

Yass Valley Way Interchange:

Hume Hwy (M31) as it passes through the Yass Valley Way interchange in Yass, March 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Yass Valley Way Interchange:

Hume Hwy (M31) as it passes through the Yass Valley Way interchange in Yass, March 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Distance Sign:

Reassurance directional sign at Yass after the service centre, March 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Services Sign:

Services sign at Yass indicating distance to the next town with services such as fuel, food, etc, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Wangeila Road:

Hume Hwy (M31) as it passes under Wangeila Rd at Yass, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Yass Junction Road:

Hume Hwy (M31) as it crosses over Yass Junction Rd at Yass, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Yass near Yellow Creek Rd for the Barton Hwy (A25) interchange, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:

Supplemental AD sign at Yass approaching Barton Hwy (A25) interchange, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD approaching Barton Hwy (A25) at Yass, March 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Coolalie Road:

Hume Hwy (M31) as it passes under Coolalie Rd at Yass, March 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Barton Highway:

Hume Hwy (M31) at the Barton Hwy (A25) interchange at Yass, March 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Barton Highway:

Hume Hwy (M31) as it passes under the Barton Hwy (A25) interchange at Yass, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Distance Sign:

Reassurance directional sign at Yass, after Barton Hwy (A25) interchange, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Approaching Yass Valley Way:

Hume Hwy (M31) as it approaches Yass Valley Way at Manton, January 2015. Yass Valley Way is an old alignment of the Hume Highway.

Image © Paul Rands

Yass Valley Way:

Corner of Hume Hwy (M31) and Yass Valley Way at Manton, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Approaching Reardons Road:

Hume Hwy (M31) as it approaches Reardons Rd (another former Hume Hwy alignment) at Manton, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Old Alignment:

A section of link road once used to connect the current highway alignment and older section of now former highway being used as a truck parking area, Manton, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Services Sign:

Services sign near Sheldricks Ln at Manton for the Mundoonan Rest Area, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Services Sign:

Services sign at Lade Vale for the Mundoonan Rest Area, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Mundoonan Rest Area:

Hume Hwy (M31) at the Mundoonan Rest Area junction at Lade Vale, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign approaching the junction with Jerriwa Rd and Lade Vale Rd at Lade Vale, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Jerriwa Road & Lade Vale Road:

Corner of Hume Hwy (M31), Jerriwa Rd and Lade Vale Rd at Lade Vale, January 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

UPDATED Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Gunning approaching the Gundaroo Rd interchange, January 2022.

Image © Paul Rands

NEW Fingerboard:

Fingerboard assembly at the corner of Hume Hwy (M31) and Veterans Rd, Gunning, January 2022.

Image © Paul Rands

Services Sign:

Services sign at Gunning approaching Gundaroo Rd interchange, January 2022.

UPDATED Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:

Supplemental AD sign at Gunning approaching the Gundaroo Rd interchange, January 2022.

UPDATED Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Gunning approaching the Gundaroo Rd interchange, January 2022.

UPDATED Bypassed Town Sign:

Bypassed town AD sign at Gunning approaching the Gundaroo Rd interchange, January 2022. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Paul Rands from January 2015.

UPDATED Gundaroo Road Interchange:

Hume Hwy (M31) at the Gundaroo Rd interchange at Gunning, January 2022.

Gundaroo Road Interchange:

Hume Hwy (M31) passing under the Gundaroo Rd overpass at Gunning, January 2015.

Distance Sign:

RD sign at Gunning, January 2015.

Services Sign:

Services sign at Gunning, showing distance to next major town with services such as fuel, food, etc, January 2015.

UPDATED Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign approaching Cullerin Rd (Former Hume Hwy) at Breadalbane, January 2022.

UPDATED Cullerin Road:

Corner of Hume Hwy (M31) and Cullerin Rd at Breadalbane, January 2022.

Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:

Supplemental AD sign at Yarra approaching the Federal Hwy (M23) interchange, January 2015.

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign approaching the Federal Hwy (M23) interchange at Yarra, January 2015. The interchange is grade separated, except for traffic needing to go south, which uses a U-turn bay.

Federal Highway Merge:

Hume Hwy (M31) at the Federal Hwy (M23) interchange at Yarra, January 2015. Northbound traffic uses an unusual double zipper merge.

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign approaching the U-turn bay for southbound traffic joining the Federal Hwy (M23) at Yarra, January 2015.

Federal Highway U-Turn Bay:

Hume Hwy (M31) at the Federal Hwy (M23) U-turn bay at Yarra, January 2015.

Reassurance Directional Sign:

Distance sign after the Federal Hwy (M23) interchange at Yarra, November 2013.

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Run O' Waters approaching Hume St, November 2013.

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Run O' Waters approaching Hume St, November 2013.

Click or tap here for the continuation of M31 between Yass and Gundagai
Click or tap here for the continuation of M31 between Berrima and Goulburn

¹ NSW Government, Transport for NSW, Schedule of Classified Roads And State and Regional Roads, July 2022.
² Australian Government, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.
³ NSW Government, Roads and Maritime Services.
⁴ NSW Government, Department of Main Roads, The Roadmakers, A History of Main Roads in New South Wales, ISBN 0 7240 0439 4.