Following World War II, it was glaringly obvious that the existing route between Sydney and Newcastle, not even 20 years old by that time, was completely inadequate for the amount of traffic it carried. By 1960, traffic across the 3-lane Peats Ferry Bridge had reached a daily average of 6,600 vehicles, rising to over 18,000 per day in holiday times. The existing two-lane, winding alignment was unsuitable to carry this amount of traffic, let alone any future increase, and there was considerable local-through traffic conflict through the busy town centres of Gosford, Wyong, Swansea and Belmont.

During the late 1950's the DMR undertook investiagtions to determine whether any route existed between Sydney and Newcastle superior to the current alignment. It was found that a line close to the existing route was most suitable with the exception of an alternate route via Peats Ridge to bypass Gosford. It was decided that the road should be constructed as an expressway with at least four lanes and no at-grade cross traffic.

With the general scheme for the freeway having been determined, detailed engineering surveys proceeded so that the DMR could work out the exact alignments for other sections. It was decided to firstly proceed with the sections that could provide the highest traffic relief. For this reason, the Calga-Ourimbah length was constructed firstly as a two-lane expressway style road to serve as an initial bypass of Gosford.

At its south end, the freeway was planned to connect to the County of Cumberland freeway system at Wahroonga and proceed south along the Lane Cove River to the new Gladesville Bridge as the Lane Cove Valley Freeway before following the general line of Victoria Rd to Ultimo as the North Western Freeway. North of Ourimbah, the freeway would bypass Wyong to the east and follow a line generally parallel to the existing highway to near Charlestown where it would join the Northumberland County (Newcastle) freeway system.

Click HERE for a map of the original freeway route, planned by the DMR in the 1950's
Click HERE for a map showing the lower half of the proposed freeway route. [Paul Rands]
Click HERE for a map showing the Newcastle section of the proposed freeway.[Paul Rands]

In order to build the expressway in the quickest time possible, the DMR, realising its finiancial limitations, decided to call tenders in March 1960 for the construction and operation of a four lane toll road between Sydney and Newcastle. When tenders were closed, there were only 4 offers put forward by the private sector as most companies would not have the slightest idea of how much it would cost and what it would take to build a project of such difficulty. There was one serious bid by Solomon, an Englishman, who had £50 million earmarked for the construction of the road. However, the DMR was always against letting the private sector construct such an important project and the commissioner of the time, Howard Sherrard, threatened to resign when the government decided it would take Solomon up on his offer. This caused the government to abandon the private sector idea, and announce in January 1962 that it had accepted a proposal from the DMR for the construction of a four-lane expressway that would not only connect Sydney and Newcastle but form part of an improved route to the north and north-west of the state. In 1965, the proposal was refined to include a new route across Mooney Mooney Creek downstream from the Pacific Hwy crossing that would render the existing Peats Ridge route redundant. However, it was recognised that construction would not be possible until at least the mid-1970's due to financial restrictions.

The DMR commenced construction of the freeway in 1960, with the now defunct Calga - Peats Ridge - Ourimbah section the first to be built. A road already existed between Calga and Central Mangrove, built as a developmental road by Gosford Council with funds from the DMR. It was decided to upgrade this road to a 50mph design speed rather than build a parallel expressway at this stage as the search for a shorter suitable route across Mooney Mooney Creek continued. Between a point 2km south of Central Mangrove and Ourimbah, an entirely new alignment was chosen and constructed as a super-2 expressway with a 60mph design speed. It was intended that the route be upgraded to 4-lanes in conjunction with the construction of the parallel expressway between Calga and Central Mangrove in later years.

In 1965, a practicable route across Mooney Mooney Creek to Kariong was found, leaving the Peats Ridge route redundant. However it was agreed that this route would have to serve as the main through route until at least the mid-1970's when finances would become available for construction of the new route which included a large bridge across the Mooney Mooney Creek and Gorge that would cost more than £3 million. The proposed parallel expressway between Calga and Central Mangrove would be retained as part of an improved route to the New England Hwy at Singleton via Wollombi. This proposal was later abandoned.

The route through Peats Ridge was opened to traffic in March 1964, only months before construction of the Calga Interchange began. National Route 1 retained its Pacific Highway alignment until 1974 when the entire F3 was proclaimed part of the National Highway and Peats Ridge Rd was given the NH1 designation. The designation was later revoked in 1986 when the true expressway opened between Calga and Somersby, although the last NH1 signs werent removed until 2004.

The route was proclaimed State Highway 26 upon opening in March 1964, replacing the Main Road 590 designation between Calga and Central Mangrove. After 32 years of service, State Highway 26 was decomissioned in November 1996 and is now Main Road 455, under the control of Gosford Council as a regional road.

Click HERE for a map showing the original plans for the F3 via Peats Ridge
Click HERE for a map showing the 1962 proposal by the DMR across Mooney Mooney Creek
Click HERE for more information and photos of the Peats Ridge alignment of NH1.

Construction of the first stage of the Department of Main Roads' expressway proposal, from Hawkesbury River to Mt White, was commenced in April 1963. A new route was decided on, as due to rugged terrain any improvements to the existing Pacific Hwy route would be expensive, difficult and still not provide and adequate design standard. Investigations for this new route took into account these factors:

1. The retention of any existing assests suitable for incorporation into the expressway such as Peats Ferry Bridge.
2. The reduction to a minimum of interference with developed property, particularly houses, orchards and other intensely cultivated land. For this reason it was desirable that the route should skirt and not pass through settled areas.
3. In view of the high total cost, the desirability of selecting a location that would permit staged construction and allow the road to be brought into use progressively.
4. The need to give priority in construction to the length between the Hornsby area and Gosford for the reason that this length carries more traffic than north of Gosford and it also embraces sections of the existing road which present the more difficult driving conditions.
5. The need for a high standard connection to serve the north and north-western parts of the state passing to the west of Newcastle and linking with the existing New England Hwy in the vicinity of Singleton. This link would also serve the coalfields area, centred on Cessnock.

The first stage between Hawkesbury River and Mt White was to begin at the river and join the existing Pacific Hwy on the motorway section 2km south of Mt White, declared in March 1960. This temporary connection was abandoned in June 1964 when construction commenced on the route as far as the Mt White interchange. It was also apparent that that section north of Mt White to join State Highway 26 at Calga would be opened to traffic very soon after the Hawkesbury River-Mt White stage. A short section of the Pacific Hwy had to be reconstructed where it conflicted with the freeway alignment south of Mt White and this deviation was opened to traffic late in 1964.

During construction, a family of four was killed after workers accidentally pushed a large boulder from the expressway site onto the existing highway, completely squashing a car.

This section includes Jolls Bridge, a pair of twin bridges across an section of ridge-top that was too narrow to accommodate a 6-lane carriageway. Climbing lanes were provided in both directions between the toll booths and a point 2km south of Mt White. The freeway has since been widened to 6-lanes for the entire length between Hawkesbury River and Mt White. This widening was completed by May 2004.

The Hawkesbury River to Mt White stage was opened in December 1965, including a 20c toll payable at toll booths just north of the Hawkesbury River.

The first stage of the F3 within the County of Cumberland was opened in September 1963 when the Fig Tree Bridge over Lane Cove River at Hunters Hill was opened to traffic. Combined with the bridge over Tarban Creek (opened Dec 1965), the new Gladesville Bridge (opened Oct 1964) and interchanges at Church St, Hunters Hill and Victoria Rd, Huntleys Point, this made up the Drummoyne to Lane Cove stage of the F3. Extensions at either end of this section were ultimately abandoned in 1977, and it has never lived up to its true calling. For more information on this section of expressway, click HERE.

The Mt White to Calga stage was commenced in May 1965 as the Hawkesbury River to Mt White stage was nearing completion. This section included a phantom interchange about 1km north of the Mt White interchange, where a large cutting and viaduct was constructed for the future route of the expressway. The existing alignment to Calga interchange was only intended as a link to the Peats Ridge interim expressway route, and later part of the route to the New England Hwy at Singleton. The route of the F3 at this time was planned to cross Mooney Mooney Creek downstream from the existing Pacific Hwy bridge, hence the large cutting that sat unused for nearly 40 years. When finances became available for the Mt White to Somersby construction stage, the NPWS wouldn't allow the DMR to build their preferred alignment through the Brisbane Water National Park and new line was selected utilising the existing Calga 'link'. During 2002-03 the phantom interchange was reconstructed as part of the widening of this section to 6-lanes.

The initial design of the Calga interchange was a simple trumpet, with the Sydney-Newcastle Tollway and Peats Ridge Rd being the through route. The interchange was later reconstructed in 1986 as part of the Calga-Somersby section of the F3 and now favours the expressway as the through route. 'Ghost' bridges still exist across the link from Calga township to Peats Ridge road where the freeway once passed over it and they are easily accessible by foot.

The Mt White to Calga section opened to traffic in October 1966.

In April 1966, construction commenced on the Berowra to Hawkesbury River section. This section traverses steep and rocky terrain and has climbing lanes for 3km immediately south of the Hawkesbury River. The interchange with the Pacific Hwy at Berowra included toll booths and Heavy Vehicle Checking Stations that were placed to catch both Pacific Hwy and freeway traffic. The toll booths also were the first to use automatic toll collection facilities in Australia.

At its northern end, temporary ramps connected the freeway to the Pacific Hwy and Peats Ferry Bridge, traces of which can be found today. These ramps were removed when the freeway bridge over the Hawkesbury River opened in 1973.

In conjunction with this project was the reconstruction of the Pacific Hwy to 6 lanes through Berowra and 4-lanes south to Mt Colah to form an improved access route to the north. This was an interim measure until the Berowra-Wahroonga section could be constructed.

The Berowra to Hawkesbury River section opened to traffic in December 1968.

For 5 years following the completion of the Hawkesbury River to Berowra section, freeway traffic used the existing Peats Ferry Bridge to cross the Hawkesbury, which it shared with Pacific Hwy traffic. Construction on a new 6-lane bridge across the river for freeway traffic exclusively was commenced in 1969, only months after the Hawkesbury River-Berowra section was completed.

There was great difficulty in construction, as the Hawkesbury River at this point is very deep and has a very unstable bed. Piles had to be sunk up to 80m below the river bed to keep the bridge stable. The opening of the bridge was done in stages in order to keep access to and from the freeway open at all times. The northbound carriageway opened in August 1973, allowing the northbound ramp to Peats Ferry Bridge to be demolished, and the southbound carriageway constructed in its place. The entire bridge was opened to traffic in October 1973.

In 1974 the National Highway system was born and the existing Berowra-Calga Tollwork (aka Sydney-newcastle Freeway) was proclaimed part of the Sydney-Brisbane link as well as all future sections of the F3. By this stage, the connection to the New England Hwy at Singleton via Wollombi had long been abandoned. The National Highway corridor only stretched as far south as the Berowra Interchange, but it did provide assurance that future sections of the F3 would be toll-free. Following the cancellation of the North Western & Lane Cove Valley sections of the F3 in 1977, the National Highway corridor was extended south to meet Pennant Hills Rd at Wahroonga in 1979. Also, in 1974 the tollway recieved the National Highway 1 shield (including the route through Peats Ridge) relegating the Pacific Hwy through Gosford to the Alternate NR-1 designation. Also in 1974, the freeway was given the F3 designation, however it was never signposted as far as i know.

The 1970's was a slow decade for construction on the F3 as the DMR's financial and labour resources were diverted to other freeway projects namely the Western and South-Western Freeways and a new route was investigated to the west of Lake Macquarie. While detailed designs progressed, the next stage of construction wasn't commenced until 1978 as the injection of federal funding slowly trickled through.

The initial route of this section was gazetted in 1958, passing to the east of Wyong, along the shores of Tuggerah Lake and from there north to Doyalson. In 1968, a detailed study of the route north of Ourimbah recommended that a new route should be adopted to the west of Wyong, avoiding new residential devolpment near Kanwal. In August 1969, this new route was approved and gazetted by the government. The adopted route follows the current alignment to Wallarah Creek where it turns north east along what is now Motorway Link to Doyalson. In 1976, the decision was made to abandon the route to the east of Lake Macquarie and instead bypass Newcastle to the west, joining the New England Hwy at a point to be decided between Hexham and Maitland.

Construction was commenced in 1980 on the Wyong Bypass section including the 7km 2-lane Motorway Link which was designed to be a temporary connection to the Pacific Hwy at Doyalson. The route departed the existing Pacific Hwy at Kangy Angy, passing through a 60m deep cutting and then traversing the Wyong River floodplain. Initially interchanges were provided at Cobbs Rd (now Wyong Rd) and Tooheys Rd (on Motorway Link) and only one carriageway north of Alison Rd. In conjunction with this project was the duplication of State Highway 26 between Somersby and Ourimbah, completed in December 1983. The freeway also opened between Kangy Angy and Doyalson in December 1983.

In October 1984 the 2nd carriageway opened between Alison Rd and the Wallarah Creek Interchange which was yet to be constructed. The northbound off-ramp to Motorway Link opened in August 1985 allowing construction to commence on the next stage to Morisset. In June 1986 the interchange at Sparks Rd was opened to traffic and in conjunction with the re-alignment of Sparks Rd created a second east-west link between the freeway and the ever-expanding central coast.

This particular stage crosses floodplain largely on fill and has suffered from what many call 'concrete cancer'. Cracks have appeared in the concrete surface as the fill has moved beneath the road base. It is most likely that the fill was not left to settle for long enough before application of the road base.

This section is also blessed with the only service centre on the freeway, which opened in June 1993. More info about the service centre can be found HERE.