Alpine Way is a 121-kilometre (75 mi) rural road located in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The road connects Jindabyne in the east to the New South Wales-Victorian border in the west, crossing the Murray River near Bringenbrong and Upper Towong.
Route
Alpine Way commences at the intersection with Kosciuszko Road in Jindabyne, on the eastern side of the Snowy Mountains, and heads in a south-westerly direction, adjacent to the Thredbo River and eventually past Thredbo. It then climbs and crosses the crest of the Great Dividing Range at Dead Horse Gap at an altitude of 1,580 metres (5,180 ft), then winds a descent down to and eventually crosses Snowy Creek at Murray Gorge at an altitude of 580 metres (1,900 ft), very close to the Murray River. Thereafter, it continues in a northerly direction around the western side of the range along the upper reaches of the Murray River Tributaries, crossing the Swampy Plain River at Geehi Hut and continuing northwards to Khancoban. It then heads in a northwesterly direction to eventually cross the Murray River and terminate at Murray Valley Highway on the river's southern bank, within Victoria.[3]
The majority of the road is contained within Kosciuszko National Park[4] and since 2004 has been maintained by Roads & Maritime Services.[5][6]
Road restrictions
Road restrictions in the region require all two-wheel drive vehicles carry snow chains between Thredbo and Tom Groggin from the long weekends marking the King's Official Birthday in June and the Labour Day in October. It is also quite possible that snow chains may be needed to drive safely along other (more dangerous) parts of Alpine Way.[7][8]
History
The road was initially built in the 1950s as part of the access for the Snowy Mountains Scheme. However, the paving of it was only completed approximately forty years later in the 1990s.
The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924[9] through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later the Department of Main Roads, and eventually Transport for NSW). With the subsequent passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929[10] to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, the Department of Main Roads (having succeeded the MRB in 1932) declared Main Road 627 along the western portion of Alpine Way, from the border with Victoria along Murray River in Bringenbrong through Khancoban to the western boundary of Kosciuszko National Park to its east, on 15 January 1993.[2] Main Road 677 was declared along the eastern portion of Alpine Way, from Jindabyne to the eastern boundary of Kosciuszko National Park at Bullocks Flat, on 31 October 1997;[11] this was extended west along the remaining section of Alpine Way to the western boundary of Kosciuszko National Park east of Khancoban on 17 May 2004.[12]
The passing of the Roads Act of 1993[13] updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Alpine Way retains its declaration as Main Roads 627 and 677.[14]
Murray Valley Highway
