The Southern Outlet is a major dual carriageway carrying the Midland Highway from South Launceston on Wellington Street to Breadalbane which ends on the bypass named Perth Link Roads. The dual carriageway is notably known for car accidents and other various issues.
Route
The Southern Outlet starts when leaving South Launceston with a speed grade intersection for Glen Dhu Road and going under the Westbury Road Overpass. The route goes over the speed grade intersection for the Bass Highway then going over the speed grade intersection for Kings Meadows Link, for about 6 kilometres. It is just a dual carriageway going to Breadalbane, then going onto Perth Link Roads.
Construction Plans for the dual carriageway came from the Launceston Area Transportation Study of 1968. Construction of the first stage of the Launceston Southern Outlet between Glen Dhu and Strathroy commenced in February 1981 and comprised the construction of 7.4 km of dual carriageway and included three major bridges, namely the Mt Pleasant Interchange, the Westbury Road Overpass and the Glen Dhu Overpass. The highway opened to traffic between the Glen Dhu interchange and the temporary connection onto the old Midland Highway at Jinglers Creek, Strathroy.Annual Report 1984-1985, Tasmania, Department of Main Roads, 1985, p. 18 The extension of the Launceston Southern Outlet Road between Breadalbane and Strathroy opened to traffic on 28 August 1987. This extension included the construction of 3.7 km of dual carriageway and a roundabout, linking the Outlet Road with the Midland Highway and Evandale Main Road.Annual Report 1987-1988, Tasmania, Department of Main Roads, 1988, p. 30 The third and final section of the Launceston Southern Outlet opened to traffic on 24 May 1988. The road works involved construction of 1 km of dual carriageway between Glen Dhu Overpass and the Frankland Street/Wellington Street intersection.Annual Report 1987-1988, Tasmania, Department of Main Roads, 1988, p. 32
Car accidents and incidents Car accidents have happened on the Southern Outlet hundreds of times from the bottom of Glen Dhu to the Bass Highway speed grade intersection causing the speed limit to be reduced to 90 kilometres per hour.
In January 2025, a teenager was driving on the Southern Outlet on a go-kart, going down on the Southern Outlet, but did not get to the bottom due to a unmarked police car pulling the teenager over.
In March 2026, three vehicles crashed on the Southern Outlet with traffic being backed up from Kings Meadows. Exits
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References