RTA Internal Classification: State Highway 10 (regional road)

Focal Points: Sydney & Newcastle, the traditional NH1 focal points. Now the section is signposted for 'Palmdale'.

Replaced by: State Route 83 (unsigned)

Route Overview:

This short 3.5km former alignment of National Highway is part of the Pacific Hwy which traverses the NSW coast from North Sydney to Brisbane. This section was given the National Route 1 shield in 1955 when NR1 was signposted from Brisbane to Adelaide. In March 1964, the southern terminus (now Ourimbah Interchange) was reconstructed to provide for the Calga-Ourimbah Expressway (State Highway 26) which served as a bypass of Gosford. During the early 1970's this short section of highway was reconstructed with dual carriageways between Burns Rd and Ourimbah Creek as part of the National Highway funding from the federal government. It was also at this time that the highway gained the green and gold shield and NH1 was routed via Peats Ridge.

In December 1983 the Kangy Angy-Doyalson section of the freeway opened and an at-grade intersection was constructed to serve the Pacific Hwy through Kangy Angy, as well as a large radius roundabout at the intersection with State Highway 26 (now Ourimbah Interchange). This roundabout was a notorious bottleneck in coming years despite northboudn traffic being able to bypass it. This intersection was later removed when the Ourimbah Creek Rd to Kangy Angy stage of the F3 opened to traffic in December 1997, bypassing the last section of non-freeway grade road between Sydney and Newcastle. The dual carriageways were retained between the Ourimbah Interchange and Palmdale Rd, and they were re-striped for a single lane in each direction.