1964: Sydney's first ring roads

With traffic congestion increasing in Sydney roads during the 1960's, motorists needed to be guided through the metropolitan area to avoid congested urban centres. 

The response by the Main Roads Department was to create a network of ring roads. A ring road in Sydney comprised of main roads that were connected together. Ir meant that drivers could bypass Central Sydney altogether if they needed to. 

In Sydney, ring roads or "Metroads" guided drivers between 1964 and 2013. Ring roads are now alphanumerically numbered e.g. Metroad 3 is now A3. 

Below is an article published in The Daily Telegraph in 1964 which focused on the inroduction of the original ring roads. 

 

Ring Road 3 (later Metroad 3 and now A3) was the first to be commissioned. The original route largely follows the current A3 with some differences e.g. The original route went through Belfield, Strathfield and Concord as Roberts Road, Centenary Drive and Homebush Bay Drive were yet to either be converted into main roads or yet to be built. 

Two other ring roads were soon commissioned:

Ring Road 1 - Ran along the southern fringe of the Sydney CBD.

Ring Road 5 - Hurstville to Hornsby via Parramatta.

The original ring roads system lasted until 1974, when  they were incorporated into a network of State Roads.