Bradfield Highway (Sydney) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bradfield Highway New South Wales
Bradfield Highway, south-westerly aspect
General information
Type	Highway
Length	2.1 km (1.3 mi)
Opened	19 March 1932 (1932-03-19)
Gazetted	January 1993
Maintained by	Transport for NSW
Former route number	Metroad 2 (1993–2007) State Route 28 (1992–1993) National Route 1 (1955–1992)
Major junctions
North end	Warringah Freeway North Sydney
	Cahill Expressway
South end	Western Distributor Millers Point, Sydney
Highway system
Highways in Australia National Highway • Freeways in Australia Highways in New South Wales

The Bradfield Highway is a short but very important road in Sydney, New South Wales. It's only about 2.1 kilometers (1.3 miles) long, making it one of Australia's shortest highways! This highway goes right over the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. It opened on March 19, 1932, at the same time as the bridge. The highway was named after John Bradfield, the amazing engineer who designed and helped build the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

What is the Bradfield Highway?

The Bradfield Highway starts in North Sydney. It connects with the Warringah Freeway and Lavender Street. From there, it heads south as a big, eight-lane road. It crosses Port Jackson over the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. After crossing the bridge, it ends near Millers Point. Here, it connects with the Western Distributor and Cahill Expressway.

How traffic flows on the highway

The Bradfield Highway has eight lanes for cars and other vehicles. These lanes are numbered from one to eight, going from west to east. Two lanes on the eastern side (lanes 7 and 8) are always for southbound traffic. Lane 7 is a special lane for buses, and lane 8 is only for cars turning off to the Cahill Expressway.

During busy times, like morning or afternoon rush hour, the direction of some lanes can change. This helps manage the flow of traffic. For example, more lanes might be open for cars going into the city in the morning. Electronic signs above each lane show drivers which way the lane is going.

In 2001, over 159,000 vehicles used the highway every single day!

Can animals use the highway?

Even though it's a modern highway, the Bradfield Highway is still officially a "stock route." This means that if someone needs to move farm animals, like sheep or cattle, they can still herd them across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Of course, they need to make special arrangements first!

History of the Bradfield Highway

The Bradfield Highway is named after John Bradfield. He was a very important civil engineer for the government. He was in charge of choosing who would build the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He also oversaw the design and construction of the bridge. Many people believe he was a co-designer of the bridge's famous arch shape.

When the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened on March 19, 1932, the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Philip Game, officially named the highway after John Bradfield.

Before 1968, all traffic from the northern end of the Bradfield Highway went to or from the Pacific Highway in North Sydney. In 1992, the Sydney Harbour Tunnel opened. This new tunnel helped reduce the amount of traffic on the Bradfield Highway.

Road numbers over time

Over the years, the Bradfield Highway has had different road numbers.

• From 1955 to 1992, it was part of National Route 1.
• In 1992, it became State Route 28.
• Then, in 1993, it changed to Metroad 2.
• This number was removed in 2007 when the Lane Cove Tunnel opened.

Tolls on the Highway

If you drive across the Sydney Harbour Bridge going south, you have to pay a toll. This is also true if you use the Sydney Harbour Tunnel going in the same direction.

In 2014, there were plans to update the toll system. This included building new toll gates on the northern side of the bridge and tunnel. The old toll gates at the ends of the bridge were removed.

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