Of Australia's 34,656 km of national highways (which include the National Land Transport Network highways and other key freight routes) identified in the Audit, 5,114 km are in NSW. This includes the following national highway links connecting the capital cities:
■ Sydney to Brisbane (Pacific Highway/Pacific Motorway Route 1 and New England Highway/ Cunningham Highway Route 15);
■ Sydney to Canberra (Federal Highway Route 23);
■ Sydney to Melbourne (Hume Highway Route 31); and
■ Sydney to Adelaide Sturt Highway (Route 20).
Figure 55 shows the National Land Transport Network highways and the other key NSW freight routes included in the Audit. Together these routes play an important role in facilitating industry and enabling business and community activity.
Eleven per cent of NSW roads have a 1-star safety rating under the Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP), while 46 per cent are 2-star rated and 42 per cent are 3-star rated. The highest attainable rating is five stars. Overall, the safety rating for NSW roads is lower than that for Queensland, Victoria, SA and WA.
The DEC of NSW national highways and key freight routes is projected to increase from $4 billion in 2011 to $5 billion in 2031.