Australian Towns, Cities & Highways: Gateway Motorway

Gateway Motorway was

The Gateway Motorway is an eastern ring road around Brisbane that connects the Pacific & Logan Motorways in the south to the Brisbane Airport & Bruce Highway in the north and also provides an important bridge across the Brisbane River. Constructed in several stages from 1985 when the Gateway Bridge was built, the road was originally known as the Gateway Arterial Road as the majority of its length it was not at freeway standard. By 1993, all original intersections were converted into grade separated interchanges and by 1998, the road was renamed to the Gateway Motorway to perhaps illustrate its importance. In 2001, the Pacific Mwy-Logan Mwy link was added which extended the motorway south by 10km. With traffic capacity already at its peak despite the Gateway Bridge remaining tolled, the road is often congested with accidents common place. In recent times, the state and federal governments have unveiled plans to duplicate the bridge, widen a significant length and construct a new deviation to eliminate some of the existing dangerous bends with construction work expected to be completed around 2011. For motorists wishing to bypass Brisbane, it remains the route of choice and under normal conditions provides quick access from most suburbs to the Brisbane Airport.

To explain the route numbering above, the Gateway Motorway was originally part of National Route 1 when it was constructed. In 1993, when the Met-route systems were installed in Sydney and Brisbane, it became Metroad 1 which continued south onto the Pacific Motorway. The addition to the Gateway Motorway in 2001 became Metroad 4 (which remains) but the Pacific Mwy-Bruce Hwy section became part of the M1 in 2005.

State: Queensland
Name Origin: The Gateway Motorway gains its name from the Gateway Bridge which replaced an over-used ferry system linking Murrarie with Eagle Farm.
Start: Logan Motorway (Drewvale)
Principal Towns/Cities: Brisbane
Finish: Bruce Highway/Gympie Arterial Road (Bald Hills)
Length: 49km
Road Standard: Bitumen
Road Quality: Varied. While its entire length is at freeway standard, the motorway is subject to some windy corners, high traffic congestion and rough bitumen surfaces.
Road Continuation: Click here for the Bruce Highway, Click here for the Pacific Motorway
Speed Limit (outside built up area): Generally 100km/hr - some sections of 90km/hr and 80km/hr exist around the toll bridge.

Photos from the Gateway Motorway (Click on thumbnail for full sized image):

Please note that many of the photos below show the Gateway Motorway with the Metroad 1 route marker. It is now apparent that all signs have been updated to shown the correct route marker of M1.

Directional sign, heading east along the Logan Motorway as it approaches the Gateway Motorway, Drewvale (2004).

Looking south-west over the Gateway Motorway from the Miles Platting Road overpass, Eight Mile Plains (2005).

And again, this time looking south onto the Gateway Motorway off-ramp to the Pacific Motorway, Eight Mile Plains (2005).

Looking west along Miles Platting Road as it approaches the Gateway Motorway on-ramp, Eight Mile Plains (2005).

Looking west along Miles Platting Road approaching the southbound on-ramp to the Gateway/Pacific Motorways, Rochedale (2005).

Distance sign, heading north from Miles Platting Road on the Gateway Motorway, Rochedale (2005).

View south over the Gateway Motorway and the Old Cleveland Road exit from the Meadowlands Road overpass, Belmont (2005).

Heading north on the Gateway Motorway with signage warning motorists of the upcoming toll bridge, Murrarie (2005).

Heading north on the Gateway Motorway with overhead signage advising motorists of their required lane to pay the bridge toll, Murrarie (2005).

View south over the Gateway Motorway from the Lytton Road overpass with the Port of Brisbane Motorway on/off ramps in the foreground, Murrarie (2005).

View north over the toll gates and Gateway Bridge in the distance from the Lytton Road overpass, Murrarie (2005).

Looking north-west along the Gateway Motorway as it approaches the Kingsford Smith exit, Eagle Farm (2005).

Old approach signage to the Gateway Motorway on Kingsford Smith Drive, Eagle Farm (2005).

Looking west along Kingsford Smith Drive as it approaches the Links Ave intersection. In the distance the Gateway Motorway overpass can be seen, Eagle Farm (2005).

Distance sign, heading south on the Gateway Motorway from Airport Drive, Hendra (2005).

Looking north along the Gateway Motorway from the Toombul Road interchange, Northgate (2005).

Directional sign on Nudgee Road showing the original Gateway Arterial Road name in use, Nudgee (2005).

Heading south-west along Nudgee Road as it approaches the Gateway Motorway, Nudgee (2005).

Distance sign, heading south along the Gateway Motorway from Bicentennial Drive, Boondall (2005).

Looking south along the Bicentennial Dr off-ramp to the Gateway Motorway, Boondall (2005).

Unusual directional sign indicating that this entrance to the Gateway Motorway only caters for southbound traffic, Deagon (2005).

Looking west along Depot Road as it approaches the Gateway Motorway overpass. A shocking M1 coverplate on the sign, Deagon (2005).

Heading east on the Gateway Motorway from the Bracken Ridge Road on-ramp, Bald Hills (2005).

Looking east along the Gateway Motorway with the Wyampa Road overpass in the foreground, Bald Hills (2005).

Looking south at the start of the Gateway Motorway from the Bruce Highway, Bald Hills (2005).

Looking south along the Bruce Highway with the directional sign indicating the upcoming start of the Gateway Motorway, Griffin (2005).

	Directional sign, heading east along the Logan Motorway as it approaches the Gateway Motorway, Drewvale (2004).
	Looking south-west over the Gateway Motorway from the Miles Platting Road overpass, Eight Mile Plains (2005).
	And again, this time looking south onto the Gateway Motorway off-ramp to the Pacific Motorway, Eight Mile Plains (2005).
	Looking west along Miles Platting Road as it approaches the Gateway Motorway on-ramp, Eight Mile Plains (2005).
	Looking west along Miles Platting Road approaching the southbound on-ramp to the Gateway/Pacific Motorways, Rochedale (2005).
	Distance sign, heading north from Miles Platting Road on the Gateway Motorway, Rochedale (2005).
	View south over the Gateway Motorway and the Old Cleveland Road exit from the Meadowlands Road overpass, Belmont (2005).
	Heading north on the Gateway Motorway with signage warning motorists of the upcoming toll bridge, Murrarie (2005).
	Heading north on the Gateway Motorway with overhead signage advising motorists of their required lane to pay the bridge toll, Murrarie (2005).
	View south over the Gateway Motorway from the Lytton Road overpass with the Port of Brisbane Motorway on/off ramps in the foreground, Murrarie (2005).
	View north over the toll gates and Gateway Bridge in the distance from the Lytton Road overpass, Murrarie (2005).
	Looking north-west along the Gateway Motorway as it approaches the Kingsford Smith exit, Eagle Farm (2005).
	Old approach signage to the Gateway Motorway on Kingsford Smith Drive, Eagle Farm (2005).
	Looking west along Kingsford Smith Drive as it approaches the Links Ave intersection. In the distance the Gateway Motorway overpass can be seen, Eagle Farm (2005).
	Distance sign, heading south on the Gateway Motorway from Airport Drive, Hendra (2005).
	Looking north along the Gateway Motorway from the Toombul Road interchange, Northgate (2005).
	Directional sign on Nudgee Road showing the original Gateway Arterial Road name in use, Nudgee (2005).
	Heading south-west along Nudgee Road as it approaches the Gateway Motorway, Nudgee (2005).
	Distance sign, heading south along the Gateway Motorway from Bicentennial Drive, Boondall (2005).
	Looking south along the Bicentennial Dr off-ramp to the Gateway Motorway, Boondall (2005).
	Unusual directional sign indicating that this entrance to the Gateway Motorway only caters for southbound traffic, Deagon (2005).
	Looking west along Depot Road as it approaches the Gateway Motorway overpass. A shocking M1 coverplate on the sign, Deagon (2005).
	Heading east on the Gateway Motorway from the Bracken Ridge Road on-ramp, Bald Hills (2005).
	Looking east along the Gateway Motorway with the Wyampa Road overpass in the foreground, Bald Hills (2005).
	Looking south at the start of the Gateway Motorway from the Bruce Highway, Bald Hills (2005).
	Looking south along the Bruce Highway with the directional sign indicating the upcoming start of the Gateway Motorway, Griffin (2005).