Anzac Highway is an 8.7-kilometre-long (5.4 mi) main arterial road heading southwest from the city of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, to the beachside suburb of Glenelg.[3]
Originally named the Bay Road (which remains an informal synonym), it mostly follows the track made by the pioneer James Chambers[4] from Holdfast Bay, the first governor's landing site, to Adelaide.[5] It gained its current name in 1923[6] to honour the contribution of the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) in World War I.
The highway is serviced by a 15-minute "Go Zone",[note 1] serviced by the 262, 263 and 265 buses.
History
South Road Underpass beneath Anzac HighwayLooking towards the city at the South Road intersection in 2008. This intersection has since been replaced with an underpass.
The road from the city to Holdfast Bay was originally named the Bay Road.[7] After the state government was lobbied in 1917 the by the ANZAC Memorial League to rename it in honour of the ANZAC troops who fought in World War I, it eventually renamed the road to Anzac Highway in 1923, at the same time doing some roadworks. In 1937 the government, in collaboration with the West Torrens Council, Unley Council and Glenelg Council Council agreed on a plan for the future of the road, which was ratified by Parliament by the passing of the Anzac Highway Memorial Act 1937. The plan included developing a dual carriageway which included trees on the central reservation and along the verges, to be maintained by the respective councils. The trees chosen were the claret ash.[8]
On 18 September 1918, a tram line opened from Sturt Street, via West Terrace and then down the Bay Road to Keswick. It was used to transport soldiers returned from World War I to the military hospital there.[9] Known as the West City Line, ran down West Terrace and Goodwood Road turned west into Park Terrace (now Greenhill Road) before turning in to Bay Road, and terminating at the entry to the Keswick Barracks. After redevelopment of Anzac Highway in the 1930s, the tram line was eventually truncated at the new Keswick Road Bridge in March 1939, at a stop known as Wayville West. This line was closed in December 1957.[10]
The South Road intersection with Anzac Highway saw major construction works in 2007-2009 as part of a South Australian Government initiative to transform South Road into a non-stop north–south route. Under the works, both routes became grade-separated, with South Road proceeding through an underpass with bi-directional controlled exits onto Anzac Highway. The underpass model is a diamond interchange. Construction began in October 2007, and the underpass was opened in March 2009, named the Gallipoli Underpass, in keeping with the Anzac theme. Each of the four corners of the intersection has a display to commemorate those who fought in the war.[citation needed]
^Adelaide Metro definition: "A Go Zone is an area that offers public transport services every 15 minutes between 7.30am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday, and every 30 minutes at night, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays until approximately 10pm. Stops within Go Zones are indicated by red hoop signs."
^2003 Adelaide Street Directory, 41st Edition. UBD (A Division of Universal Press Pty Ltd). 2003. ISBN0-7319-1441-4.
^Kerr, Margaret Goyder Colonial dynasty: the Chambers family of South Australia Rigby Ltd., Adelaide, 1980. ISBN0 727010972
^Perry, Dulcie M. (1985). The Place of Waters, A story of Glenelg's first fifty years. Glenelg, South Australia: The Corporation of the City of Glenelg, National Trust of South Australia. ISBN0-9589503-0-X.
^""Anzac Highway"". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 11 September 1923. p. 12. Retrieved 16 January 2013.