New England Online > Geography > Transport > Roads & Motorways > Motorways > M5
M5 Motorway
| M5 Motorway | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Length: | 280 km |
| Direction: | East - West |
| Carrigeway: | Dual |
| Start: | Tucabia |
| Destinations: | Grafton Glen Innes Inverell |
| End: | Delungra |
| Construction: | 2018 - 2029 |
The M5 is a major motorway running east to west through the north of New England. It was named after the Gwydir River, which in turn was named for a locale in Wales. The Gwydir Highway traverses the north of New England from the coastal region to the inland slopes, linking the city of Grafton to Glen Innes, Inverell on to the town of Delungra where the road continues on to the Australian border as the B38.
The motorway is important to the residents of the northern New England, and links the larger centres of the area together and to the coast. The motorway is the third longest in New England at 280 kms. The M5 was the fourth road to be built to motorway standard in the country, after the completion of the M1, M2 and M4.
History
Much of the M5 was created as the Gwydir Highway in the 1950s and 1960s and carried the designation of National Route 38. The original road was a collection of tracks not suitable for moving goods across the region.
