Statistics:
- Length:
- 59 km
- Termini:
- Eastern: Princes Mwy (M1), Albion Park
- Western: Hume Hwy (M31) and Canyonleigh Rd (Hoddles Cross Roads), Sutton Forest
- Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:
- Albion Park, Tullimbar, Tongarra, Macquarie Pass, Mount Murray, Robertson, Burrawang, Moss Vale and Sutton Forest
Route Numbering:
- Current: A48
- Multiplexed with: 8 14 15
- Former: 48
- Road Authority Internal Classification: 1
- HW25
General Information:
The Illawarra Highway is a key link in the state's road network, connecting the Illawarra with the Southern Highlands, the Hume Highway and via the Hume Highway: Melbourne and southwestern New South Wales.
Consisting mostly of single carriageway undivided road, the route traverses Macquarie Pass, which is a narrow and windy section of road built to climb the Illawarra Escarpment. The route primarily services small rural and semi-rural communities.
Multiplexes along the route include:
- Tourist Drive 8, for 27 km, between Albion Park and Robertson.
- Tourist Drive 14, for 14 km, between Moss Vale and Sutton Forest.
- Tourist Drive 15, for 22 km, between Robertson and and Moss Vale.
History:
- 4 July 1898: Macquarie Pass opens to traffic.
- 1936: Shellharbour Council sought the co-operation of neighbouring shires and municipalities, and the Illawarra tourist zone, to have the then Macquarie Pass road taken over by the Main Roads Board. 2
- 2009: RTA undertook extensive safety work on Macquarie Pass including the installation of 'Beware Trucks on Curve' signs. 3
- July 2012: Installation of vehicle activated signs on Macquarie Pass, with the aim to improve road safety by advising motorists of speed and wet weather hazards. 4
- November 2015: 60 km/h zone extended to Yellow Rock Rd Tullimbar. 5
- July 2017: Slope stabilisation, widening of road shoulders, installing guardrail and replacing drains underneath the road on Macquarie Pass. 6
- May 2018: At Robertson and Burrawang, shoulders widened and guard rail installed, plus 2 vehicle activated signs installed at this location, the road shoulders were widened and a widened painted median installed. 7 Repairs carried out to the bridge, guard rails and embankments at the Hume Hwy (Hoddles Crossroads) interchange. 8
- 2021: A48 truncated between Albion Park Rail and Albion Park, with the opening of Princes Mwy (M1) (Albion Park Rail Bypass).
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1 NSW Government, Transport for NSW, Schedule of Classified Roads And State and Regional Roads, July 2022.
2 Sydney Morning Herald, 17 October 1936, Page 15.
3 NSW Government, Parliament of New South Wales, Hansard & Papers, Legislative Assembly, Questions, 9329 - Macquarie Pass.
4 NSW Government, Roads and Maritime Services, Media Releases, Vehicle Activated Signs For Moss Vale Road, Macquarie Pass And Jamberoo Mountain Road, 17 July 2012.
5 NSW Government, Roads and Maritime Services, Media Releases, Motorists encouraged to slow down on Illawarra Highway at Tullimbar, 30 October 2015.
6 NSW Government, Roads and Maritime Services, Media Releases, Safety to be improved for motorists on Macquarie Pass, 12 July 2017.
7 NSW Government, Roads and Maritime Services, Media Releases, Safety improvements on the way along the Illawarra Highway, 14 May 2018.
8 NSW Government, Roads and Maritime Services, Media Releases, Shovels out for work on Illawarra and Hume Highways interchange, 1 May 2018.