Length:

2031 km

Termini:

Eastern: Pacific Motorway (M1/M3) and Gateway Motorway (M1), Eight Mile Plains

Western: NT-QLD Border, Camooweal

Miscellaneous:

Continues as Barkly Highway (NH66) in Northern Territory

Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:

Camooweal, Mount Isa, Cloncurry, Winton, Longreach, Barcaldine, Mitchell, Roma, Chinchilla, Dalby, Toowoomba, Gatton, Ipswich, Dinmore, Wacol, Forest Lake, Drewvale and Eight Mile Plains

Current: M2 A2

Multiplexed with: A5 A6 A55 83 49 62 82

Former: A2 54 66 71 15 54 71 2 4 6

Road Authority Internal Classification: ¹

13A (Landsborough Highway (Morven to Augathella))

13B (Landsborough Highway (Augathella to Tambo))

13C (Landsborough Highway (Tambo to Blackall))

13D (Landsborough Highway (Blackall to Barcaldine))

13E (Landsborough Highway (Barcaldine to Longreach))

13F (Landsborough Highway (Longreach to Winton))

13G (Landsborough Highway (Winton to Kynuna))

13H (Landsborough Highway (Kynuna to Cloncurry))

15A (Barkly Highway (Cloncurry to Mount Isa))

15B (Barkly Highway (Mount Isa to Camooweal))

15C (Barkly Highway (Camooweal to NT Border))

18A (Warrego Highway (Ipswich to Toowoomba (except Toowoomba Second Range Crossing))

18B (Warrego Highway (Toowoomba to Dalby (except Toowoomba Second Range Crossing))

18C (Warrego Highway (Dalby to Miles))

18D (Warrego Highway (Miles to Roma))

18E (Warrego Highway (Roma to Mitchell))

18F (Warrego Highway (Mitchell to Morven))

210A (Logan Motorway (Gailes to Loganholme))

319 (Toowoomba Second Range Crossing)

N332 (Gateway Extension Motorway (Drewvale to Eight Mile Plains))

U16 (Ipswich Motorway (Cunningham Arterial Road))

General Information:

M2 / A2 is the main link from Brisbane to the Northern Territory. It varies from motorway standard in the Brisbane metropolitan area, to dual carriageway rural highway standard between Brisbane and Toowoomba, and rural highway standard beyond Toowoomba. The route is the only sealed link between Flinders Highway and Capricorn Highway apart from Gregory Development Road between Emerald and Charters Towers.

The Landsborough Highway runs through vast tracts of land that was once occupied by William Landsborough, an Australian explorer of the 19th century. The Barkly Highway is the only major route connecting Queensland and the Northern Territory.

A5 (Leichhardt Highway), for 1 km, at Miles

A6 (Capricorn Highway), for 135 km, between Cloncurry and Mount Isa

A55 (Carnarvon Highway), for 5 km, at Roma

National Route 83, for 119 km, between Cloncurry and Mt Isa

State Route 49, for 400 m, Dalby

State Route 62 (Kennedy Developmental Road), for 5 km, Winton

State Route 82, for 4 km, Dalby

1849: Surveyor J.C. Burnett found a better route to the north to replace the road from Brisbane over the Toowoomba Range (via Gormans Gap, south of the city). This new route was to later become Toll Bar Road. ²

1853: A gang of twelve workers cleared and constructed a better road along the route of what would become Toll Bar Road. ²

January 1855: Toll Bar Road opens. A simple gatehouse was erected at the top of the range, near the current intersection of Ipswich and Curtis Streets in Toowoomba. A bar crossing the road and a fence either side stopped traffic and enabled toll collection of approximately two pence. Toll Bar Road consisted of a rough stone pavement on very steep grades. As the road was unsealed and very steep, with grades as much as 14%, it was subject to severe scouring during heavy rains. ²

13 December 1921: Brisbane-Toowoomba Road was declared a Main Road under the Main Roads Act, 1920. ²

24 September 1932: The Main Roads Commission proclaimed the Toll Bar Road a State Highway when it became part of the Lockyer-Darling Downs Highway. ²

1938: A major upgrade of the range road took place. The most significant change was to the uppermost section, with the new route reaching the top of the range further north. ²

December 1939: Work to upgrade the range road completed. ²

29 January 1940: A two-lane bitumen Toowoomba range road was formally opened by the Honourable H.A. Bruce, Minister for Public Works, MLA. The new range road was a vast improvement on the old Toll Bar Road as it provided a 6.1 m wide bitumen surfaced pavement over a length of 3.7 km and climbed a total height of 350 m. The average rate of climb was nearly 9%, although the actual grades varied between 7.5% and 10.5% with the exception of a short flattening in the vicinity of a saddle which had become known as "Essex Evans" due to the fact that the poet George Essex Evans (1863-1909) once resided at this location. ²

1964: The Main Roads Department commenced the duplication of the road at an estimated cost of £185 000. By 1964 the traffic volume had reached 2300 vehicles per day, of which approximately 500 were heavy trucks and semi-trailers. The alignment of the upgrading project was along the existing road from the foot of the range proper to the saddle at Essex Evans. However, an entirely new up-lane from Essex Evans to the top was constructed on the southern side of the existing road. The new up-lane was slightly longer, with improved horizontal and vertical alignment and an increased width of 7.3 m. The basic route used up until 2019, has remained unaltered since 1940. ²

10 October 1975: Plainland to Laidley Creek Duplication opened. ³

December 1988: Stage one completion of the Logan Motorway, initially known as the Goodna-Loganholme Road. It was constructed to link the Cunningham and Pacific Highways via Carol Park, Browns Plains, Loganlea and Loganholme. ⁴ The route began life as a Super-2 motorway. ⁵

21 October 1991: Helidon Spa to Withcott Duplication opened by then Minister John Flynn. ³

20 December 1991: 4.8 km reconstruction east of Miles opened. ³

08 May 1992: Mount Isa to Camooweal Reconstruction opened by Minister for Transport David Hamill. ³

29 January 1993: Bremer River Bridge Duplication opened by then Federal Minister for Transport Bob Brown. ³

07 December 1993: Cloncurry Deviation / Ernest Henry Bridge opened. ³

10 June 1994: Ipswich Motorway to Bremer River Duplication and River Road Interchange opened by then Minister for Transport David Hamill. ³

October 1995: Announcement of the duplication of Goodna-Loganholme Road between the Ipswich Motorway and Wembley Road. This was linked with the Gateway Motorway, by the Gateway extension via Kuraby in 1997. ⁴

December 1996: Thiess Contractors planted 80 000 native trees, shrubs and grasses along the Gateway Motorway Extension from Rochedale to Drewvale. ⁶

1997: The Gateway Motorway extension from Rochedale to Drewvale opened to the public, providing an opportunity for motorists to bypass the City from Ipswich to the Sunshine Coast. ⁶ Also duplication of Logan Motorway to Pacific Motorway begins at the eastern, including interchange works with Pacific Motorway. ⁷

4 April 1997: Opening of the Oakey Bypass. ⁸

31 October 1997: Pickanjinne Reconstruction east of Roma opened. ³

September 2000: Completion of duplication works along Logan Mwy. ⁷

December 2002: The new Georgina River Bridge at Camooweal opened to traffic. ⁹

2004: Work begins to widen a 90 km section of the Barkly Highway between Mount Isa and Camooweal. ¹⁰ The works included 14 new bridges over eight waterways, the elimination of all single-lane sections and their replacement, often on a new alignment, with two lanes and sealed shoulders. Hazardous dips and blind crests were also removed. ¹¹ Warrego (NH54), Landsborough (NH54 / NH66 / NH71) and Barkly (NH66) Highways renumbered to A2 under the QMR Strategic Tourism Routes plan. ¹²

2006: Laidley-Plainland interchange on the Warrego Highway upgrade completed. ¹³

May 2006: Construction begins on the Logan Motorway / Paradise Road interchange at Larapinta. ¹⁴

6 November 2006: Upgrade works commence on the Mt Lindesay Hwy (NR13) interchange with Logan Mwy. Work includes realignment of the ramp, removal of a right hand curve and the easing of a second left hand curve. ¹⁵

February 2007: Construction commenced on the Logan Mwy / Ipswich Mwy interchange upgrade. ¹⁶

March 2007: Official opening of the Paradise Road interchange on the Logan Motorway by Premier Peter Beattie and Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Paul Lucas. ¹⁷

May 2008: Completion of upgrade works at the intersection of the Warrego Highway and Claus Road at Haigslea, west of Ipswich. ¹⁸

September 2008: Completion of new rest area 110 kilometres from Longreach on the Landsborough Hwy. ¹⁹

13 October 2008: Work commences at Kuraby on the installation of a tolling gantry in preparation for the transition to free-flow tolling. ²⁰

2009: Widening works between Mt Isa and Camooweal completed. ¹⁰

February 2009: Upgrade of Mitchell's main street on the Warrego Highway completed. The Mitchell main street, between Louisa and Ann Streets, has been re-constructed to provide a strengthened and widened road surface. Following the opening of the road to traffic during 2008, final asphalt sealing, landscaping, line marking and other associated works were also completed. ²¹

March 2009: Metroad 2 between Dinmore and Gailes replaced by the M2 route number, Metroad 4 replaced in its entirety by the M2 route number. ²²

30 June 2009: Work commences on the Ipswich Mwy to increase it from four lanes to six lanes and improve safety on an 8 kilometre section of the motorway between Dinmore and Goodna, and also to increase the route from four lanes to six lanes along a 2.5 kilometre section of the motorway between the Logan Motorway Interchange and Sandy Creek (Wacol to Darra). ²³

April 2016: Construction begins on Toowoomba Range Second Crossing.

8 September 2019: Toowoomba Range Second Crossing completely open to traffic.