{{Infobox Australian road | type = Road | road_name = Parramatta Road | state = nsw | image = Parramatta Road near University of Sydney.jpg | caption = | est = 1811 | length =23 | route = | former = see Former route allocations | direction_a = East | end_a = Broadway | exits = | direction_b = West | end_b = Church Street| through = Ultimo, Chippendale, Glebe, Camperdown, Forest Lodge, Annandale, Stanmore, Leichhardt. Petersham, Lewisham, Haberfield, Summer Hill Ashfield. Five Dock, Croydon, Concord, Burwood, Strathfield, Homebush, Auburn}}Parramatta Road' is the major historical east-west artery of metropolitan Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, connecting the Sydney CBD with Parramatta. It is the easternmost part of the Great Western Highway. Since the 1990s its role has been augmented by the City West Link and M4 Motorway. The road begins in the east as a continuation of George Street, which becomes Broadway west of Harris Street, and Parramatta Road west of the City Road junction, and ends at the junction with Church Street in Parramatta. Its distance is dominated by caryards and small marginally-viable shops. At the same time, however, it has over 100 abandoned and derelict stores. Owing to this and its abrasively noisy traffic, it has rarely been considered beautiful. Opened in 1811, it is one of Sydney's oldest roads and Australia's first road between two cities (before Sydney and Parramatta coalesced). As at 2015, over three million commuters every year drove Parramatta Road. The road is the hub of Sydney's motor dealership industry - with 67% of the adjacent land used for motor retailing and services. History 1790s–1800s: Development Parramatta was settled by Europeans in the same year (1788) as Sydney. The Parramatta River was used as navigation between them. Sometime between 1789 and 1791 an overland track was made to provide an official land route between the two settlements. Parramatta Road dates to the 1792 formation of a route linking Sydney to the settlement of Parramatta. This route was formalised under the direction of Surveyor-General Augustus Alt in 1797. Parramatta Road became one of the colony's most important early roads, and for many years remained one of Sydney's principal thoroughfares. The early road was a poorly built and poorly maintained track through bush. In 1794, the governor of the colony reported that he had caused a very good road to be made, but there is no evidence