National Highway (Australia)

The National Highway (part of the National Land Transport Network) is a system of roads connecting all mainland states and territories of Australia, and is the major network of highways and motorways connecting Australia's capital cities and major regional centres.

[2] Under the act, the states were still responsible for road construction and maintenance, but were fully compensated for money spent on approved projects.

[3] In 1988, the National Highway became redefined under the Australian Land Transport Development (ALTD) Act 1988,[4] which had various amendments up to 2003.

The 1988 Act was largely concerned with funding road development in cooperation with the state governments.

Section 10.5 of the Act required the state road authorities to place frequent, prominent, signs on the National Highways and RONI projects funded by the federal government.

The criteria for inclusion in the network was similar to the previous legislation, but expanded to include connections to major commercial centres, and inter-modal facilities.

[6] All of the roads included in National Land Transport Network as of 2005 were formally defined by regulation in October 2005.

These states have retained the original National Highway numbering and shield decal, having added the appropriate M and A classification.

In 2013, New South Wales introduced a new alphanumeric route numbering system, which no longer includes national highways.

Notably, important roads to near-metropolitan locations such as Geelong, Bunbury and Wollongong were added in 2005, although not within the original concept of interstate National Highways.

The original components of the National Highway were officially declared on 20 September 1974, as "links" and terminated at the edge of each capital city.