Southern Freeway

view south from Waterfall onramp

Southern Freeway is a freeway linking Sydney to Wollongong. It currently is designated as part of National Route 1, however was formerly signposted as F6 (Freeway Route 6) under a former route numbering system, and is commonly known by this latter name. The freeway will be designated as M1 when alpha-numeric route marking is introduced.

The Southern Freeway has two sections: the northern section between Waterfall and Bulli Tops interchange (with a speed limit of 110km/h, except for the southbound approach to the Interchange, which is 80km/h) and the southern section between Wollongong suburb of Gwynneville to Yallah (with a 100km/h speed limit), where it rejoins the Princes Highway. Mount Ousley Road connects these two sections together (also 100km/h speed limit) with an interchange at Picton Road.

As Wollongong and Port Kembla are important industrial centres, freight traffic is heavy. Despite the current decline of the local steel industry, emergence of Wollongong as a commuter city of Sydney has kept the freeway and the adjacent Mount Ousley Road busy.

Track

At the north, it starts at Waterfall, taking more or less a parallel route with Princes Highway until the sprawling Bulli Tops interchange (with Appin Road (State Route 69) and Princes Highway). There it continues downhill, avoiding the steep Bulli Pass, as Mount Ousley Road (dual carriageway) and bypasses Wollongong CBD. The freeway re-emerges at Gwynneville and continues for 20km to Yallah where it rejoins the Princes Highway.

Exits and Interchanges

Southern Freeway
Northbound exits	Distance to Sydney (km)	Distance to Nowra (km)	Southbound exits
End Southern Freeway continues as Princes Highway to Sydney	45	116	Start Southern Freeway from Princes Highway
			Woronora Dam Old Princes Highway
no exit	55	110	Helensburgh, Stanwell Park Lawrence Hargrave Drive
Darkes Forest, Helensburgh Old Princes Highway	53	108	no exit
Maddens Plains, Darkes Forest Old Princes Highway	63	98	Maddens Plains, Darkes Forest Old Princes Highway
no exit	64	97	Appin, Campbelltown Appin Road
continues as Southern Freeway from Mount Ousley Road	65	96	Thirroul, Bulli Princes Highway
Appin, Campbelltown Appin Road			continues as Mount Ousley Road to Wollongong
Picton Picton Road	74	87	Picton Picton Road
continues as Mount Ousley Road to Picton / Sydney	80	81	Wollongong Mount Ousley Road
			continues as Southern Freeway from Mount Ousley Road
Keiraville Northfields Avenue	81.5	79.5	Gwynneville, Keiraville, University of Wollongong University Avenue
Gwynneville Irvine Street
North Wollongong, Bulli Northern Distributor	82	79	no exit
Dapto, Figtree, Wollongong Princes Highway	84	77	Wollongong, Figtree, Dapto Princes Highway
no exit	--	75	Coniston, Port Kembla Masters Road
Unanderra, Port Kembla Five Islands Road	88	73	Port Kembla, Unanderra Five Islands Road
Warrawong Northcliffe Drive	91	70	Warrawong Northcliffe Drive
no exit	93	68	Kanahooka, Dapto Kanahooka Road
no exit	95	66	Koonawarra, Dapto Fowlers Road
Dapto Princes Highway	98	63	End Southern Freeway continues as Princes Highway to Kiama / Nowra
Start Southern Freeway from Princes Highway

F6 Tollwork

From its opening on 24 July 1975 the Waterfall to Bulli Tops section of the F6 Southern Freeway incurred a toll. This part of the Freeway did not feature the Helensburgh Interchange (which subsequently opened in February 2000). The toll operated for 20 years, which was 10 years short of its intended operating length. The main reason for this was local residents complaining that the F3 (Newcastle-Sydney Freeway) had their toll dropped in 1988, which was at the time it was intended to be dropped as its loans had been fully paid off unlike those of the F6.

After much pressure the toll for the F6 freeway was removed on the 30 July, 1995. Remnants of the tollbooths are still able to be seen at the old toll plaza at Waterfall. One of the lanes and very faint markings are still intact. Heading southbound one set of warning lights to slow down for the toll plaza are also still intact minus signage. There is also signage on Bulli Pass and Appin Road which are now coverplating the words "TOLLWAY F6 2km" and "TOLLWAY 1 1km".

See also

• Freeways in Australia
• Freeways in New South Wales
• Captain Cook Bridge

References

Vorlage:Road infrastructure in Sydney Vorlage:Road infrastructure in New South Wales