Epping Road , NSW Main Road 28, is an important arterial road in suburban Sydney. Epping Road is 9 kilometres long, and is a major route linking the lower North Shore and Sydney CBD to the north western suburbs and Hills District of metropolitan Sydney. In particular, it is a major access road to the commercial/industrial/university area of North Ryde and Macquarie Park.

Epping Road commences from Longueville Road near the centre of the suburb of Lane Cove

Lane Cove, New South Wales

Lane Cove is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. An affluent suburb, Lane Cove is located 9 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Lane...

, about 400 metres west from the junction of Longueville Road with the Pacific Highway

Pacific Highway (Australia)

The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...

.

Epping Road runs north-west from Lane Cove, crossing the Lane Cove River

Lane Cove River

The Lane Cove River is a tributary of the Parramatta River, Sydney, Australia. Its lower reaches form an arm of Sydney Harbour.-Description:...

, and running through North Ryde, Macquarie Park and Marsfield, crosses Terry's Creek and ends at its junction with Blaxland Road adjacent to Epping Railway Station

Epping railway station, Sydney

Epping railway station is on the Northern Line of the CityRail network in Sydney, Australia. It serves the suburb of Epping, a significant commercial and residential area. Epping is a significant interchange station and is the western terminus of the Epping to Chatswood Line...

 at Epping

Epping, New South Wales

Epping is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Epping is located 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government areas of the City of Ryde, the City of Parramatta and Hornsby Shire and is located in the Northern...

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History

Epping Road was originally constructed in the 1930s as an entirely new road, in contrast to most of the other main roads in Sydney which had routes originally established in the early 19th century. The road was divided by a beautiful centre strip so wide people used to park and picnic there. Technically it always has been NSW Main road 28. Signage was changed to designate it as State Route 28 from 1974 until 1993, then Metroad 2 from November 1993 until May 1997 ,when Metroad 2 was moved onto the M2 motorway. A short stretch of Metroad 2 remained on Epping Road in the Lane Cove area until March 2007 when the Lane Cove Tunnel opened.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Epping Road was further reconstructed as a mostly 6 lane arterial road, becoming the Epping Highway, a major road project which lasted more than 10 years and involved the widening of the bridges at Lane Cove River and Stringybark Creek to six lanes. As vehicle use increased traffic congestion was not eliminated.

North-west of the Lane Cove River

Lane Cove River

The Lane Cove River is a tributary of the Parramatta River, Sydney, Australia. Its lower reaches form an arm of Sydney Harbour.-Description:...

, the M2 Hills Motorway

M2 Hills Motorway

The M2 Hills Motorway is a motorway in north-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It forms part of Sydney Metroad 2 and the 110 km Sydney Orbital Network. West of Pennant Hills Road, the M2 is also part of the National Highway.-History:Previously, Sydney's western suburbs were poorly served...

, a tollway which opened in May 1997 and diverges from Epping Road, bypassing North Ryde and Epping. It is part of the Sydney Orbital Route and carries most long-distance road traffic which previously used Epping Road. However Epping Road remains a busy road.

South-east of the Lane Cove River, the Lane Cove Tunnel

Lane Cove Tunnel

The Lane Cove Tunnel is a A$1.1 billion, 3.6 km twin tunnel tollway in Sydney, Australia, connecting the M2 Motorway at North Ryde with the Gore Hill Freeway at Artarmon. It forms part of Sydney Metroad 2 and the 110 km Sydney Orbital Network...

, a cashless tollway, opened in March 2007 runs beneath Epping Road, bypassing Lane Cove suburb and reducing congestion.

After the opening of the Lane Cove Tunnel, Epping Road , near Lane Cove and Longuiville was left intact for a period of 5 months. Then over 7 months that section of road was reconfigured to be:

• Dedicated 24 hour bus lanes in each direction (may also be used by taxis, motor bikes and bicycles)
• A single lane (aka the Epping Laneway) for cars in each direction between Centennial Avenue and Orion Rd both directions , the 2nd lane lost to the aforementioned dedicated bus lane.

• A new bus interchange and pedestrian overbridge on the corner of Longueville Road and Parklands Avenue at Lane Cove
• Right turn lanes reinstated for westbound traffic at Parklands Avenue and Centennial Avenue
• A continuous cycleway on the southern side of Epping Rd

See changes to Epping Road and project background for more details

These changes were part of the contractual agreement reached between the NSW state government and the developers of the Lane Cove Tunnel

Lane Cove Tunnel

The Lane Cove Tunnel is a A$1.1 billion, 3.6 km twin tunnel tollway in Sydney, Australia, connecting the M2 Motorway at North Ryde with the Gore Hill Freeway at Artarmon. It forms part of Sydney Metroad 2 and the 110 km Sydney Orbital Network...

, prior to the start of the tunnel's construction.

In mid-2011, work commenced on removing the entire median strip, wire barrier system, and native bushes from the section between Wicks Road and Delhi Road.