construction of new De Burghs Bridges over the Lane Cove River between Pymble and Ryde (1967). It was subsequently re-designated 'State Route 33' in 1974. A grade-separated crossing was constructed at Epping Road at North Ryde (1978). Prior to 1983, around the Strathfield area the A3 route passed through the Strathfield town centre, proceeding along (north to south) Concord Road, the Boulevarde, Coronation Parade and Punchbowl Road, to join King Georges Road. The part of this route that passes through Strathfield town centre was very congested and also problematical to widen. A major deviation of this part of the route was built between 1983 and 1998, relocating the arterial route to the west between Rhodes and Wiley Park, to bypass the Strathfield bottleneck and improve access to the Olympic Precinct at Homebush Bay. Called the "Strathfield Bypass" at the time, the deviation route includes the new Homebush Bay Drive and Centenary Drive (named for the centenary of Strathfield Municipality), and an upgraded Roberts Road though Chullora and Greenacre, connecting to King Georges Road near Wiley Park. The road upgrades, new bridges and connections for this deviation were completed in stages between 1983 and 1998. The original route was subsequently given the route allocation State Route 27 which was decommissioned in 2004. Also during this period, Ryde Bridge over the Parramatta River between Ryde and Rhodes was duplicated (1988), grade-separate crossings were constructed at the Pacific Highway at Pymble (grade separation completed in 1989). The whole route was re-designated 'Metroad 3' after April 1993. It is the only one of Sydney's 'Metroad' routes that has not changed alignment since the Metroad system was adopted in 1993. In August 2013, as part of the alphanumeric route scheme, Metroad 3 was decommissioned and was designated A3. As a major access route to Sydney Olympic Park, a grade-separated crossing was constructed at the M4 Western Motorway and Parramatta Road, at Flemington (1992) and the intersection with Australia Avenue and Underwood Road at Homebush (1998). Grade-separated crossings were also constructed at M2 Hills Motorway at Macquarie Park (1997), at Victoria Road at Top Ryde (1998), the Hume Highway at Chullora (1998), and the M5 South Western Motorway at Beverly Hills (2001). Many projects have been undertaken over the decades to widen most of the route in stages to three lanes each way, although no proper freeway sections have ever been constructed. See also References Sydney