Length:

51 km

Termini:

Northern: Pitt Water Rd (Metroad 10) and Barrenjoey Rd (unnumbered), Mona Vale

Southern: Princes Hwy (Metroad 1), Blakehurst

Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:

Blakehurst, South Hurstville, Hurstville, Penshurst, Beverly Hills, Roselands, Wiley Park, Punchbowl, Greenacre, Strathfield, Homebush West, Homebush, Liberty Grove, Rhodes, Ryde, North Ryde, Macquarie Park, Pymble West, Pymble, St Ives, Belrose, Ku-ring-gai Chase, Terrey Hills, Ingleside and Mona Vale

Current: A3

Former: 3 33 3

Road Authority Internal Classification: ¹

MR139 (Ryde)

MR162 (Ryde to Mona Vale)

MR200 (Blakehurst to Ryde)

General Information:

Metroad 3 is a major arterial route in the Sydney metropolitan area, linking Sydney's northern beaches, western suburbs, and southern suburbs to the Illawarra and New South Wales south coast. It consists mostly of multi-lane arterial road standard, except between Ingleside and Mona Vale, where it's single carriageway with 1 lane in each direction.

A small section of the route is duplexed by a 'detour route' which is used when the M5 tunnel is closed. This duplex is marked as D5 from the M5 interchange to Stoney Creek Road at Beverly Hills.

The route has long been recognised as a major route through Sydney, being given the Ring Road 3 designation during the 1960s, and then eventually Metroad 3 in the 1990s. That said, Metroad 3 does not follow the former Ring Road 3 route in its entirety.

Metroad 3 features De Burghs Bridge over the Lane Cove River. The current De Burghs Bridge is the second bridge to cross the Lane Cove River in this area. The first bridge, also called De Burghs Bridge, was designed By Ernest M De Burgh, for whom the bridge is named, in 1899. It opened on February 23, 1901. It was situated downstream from the current bridge, within metres at the southern end, and about 20 metres away from the current bridge at the northern end. The original bridge consisted of a single De Burgh timber truss which, at 50 m, was the longest timber truss span ever built in Australia. The old bridge was destroyed by bushfire in January 1994.

The bridge was replaced by a large concrete bridge, the current bridge, and it opened in December, 1967. The current bridge features a six traffic lane (3 each way) with a pedestrian walkway on either side of the bridge.

Another major bridge on Metroad 3 is Ryde Bridge, which spans the Parramatta River between Church Street in Ryde (Uhrs Point) and Concord Road in Rhodes, replacing an earlier ferry service between these two points established in the late nineteenth century. It is the only lift span bridge on Sydney Harbour and its tributaries (although the mechanism to operate the vertical lift span has been removed). ¹

23 February 1901: Original De Burghs Bridge over Lane Cove River opened to traffic. ¹

1935: Ryde Bridge, constructed. ¹

15 December 1967: Current De Burghs Bridge over Lane Cove River opened. ¹

19 August 1996: Sod-turning ceremony performed to mark the commencement of construction of the Australia Avenue Overpass at Homebush. ²

20 February 1998: Australia Avenue Overpass opened by then Minister for Main Roads Carl Scully. ²

24 August 1998: Hume Highway Overpass at South Strathfield opened by then Minister for Main Roads Carl Scully. ²

December 2000: Stage 1 of the upgrade of Mona Vale Road was completed. This involved reconstruction and widening from Addison Road to the Baha'I Temple. ¹

July 2001: Stage 2 of the Mona Vale Road upgrade began and involved reconstruction and widening from the Baha'i Temple to Manor Road. ¹

2013: Metoad 3 decommissioned.