Henry Lawson Drive

Henry Lawson Drive was conceived of as a scenic drive to follow the north bank of Georges River. In its planning stages it was known as the George's River feeder road. It was named Henry Lawson Drive in 1949. Most of the route (from the Hume Hwy to The River Road) was built in the period 1946-1955, with some sections in Georges Hall, Milperra, East Hills, Picnic Point and Peakhurst utilising pre-existing but unsealed roads. In 1963, following the closure of the Morgans Creek landfill waste disposal site at the southern end of The River Road, Henry Lawson Drive was extended to Padstow Heights with the completion of the 53-metre-long (174 ft) bridge over Little Salt Pan Creek. In September 1964 the final section was completed with the opening of the 183-metre-long (600 ft) bridge over Salt Pan Creek, connecting the road via what had formerly been Hymen Street to Forest Road in Peakhurst. In 1975 the T-intersection with Forest Road at the eastern terminus was reconfigured so that the route from Henry Lawson Drive to Forest Road northbound became the through route. Widening of the section from Alfords Point Road to Forest Road occurred incrementally, initially by reconfiguring pavement markings and construction of a westbound overtaking lane. It was later widened to four lanes in places and then six lanes. This work was completed in conjunction with the widening from two to six lanes of the Salt Pan Creek Bridge.

Since the opening of the M5 tollway in 1992 the section between the tollway and Milperra Road has had high congestion levels[3] and the City of Canterbury-Bankstown has been trying to overcome this.[4]

In 2020 funding was allocated for the first of three stages of upgrading, from Auld Ave to Tower Road (the Bankstown Airport access road) at Milperra This work will be concentrated between Milperra Road and Auld Ave, as the section from Tower Road to Milperra Road was previously widened to four lanes with turning bays. Subsequent stages are intended to see duplication to dual two-lane carriageways from the Hume Highway to the M5 tollway,[5]with the section from Auld Avenue to the M5 tollway being the first of these to be upgraded.