Motorists and the Hunter can finally say goodbye to the infamous Hexham bottleneck, with the long-awaited widening and higher speed limits now complete. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From today, motorists can now travel on three lanes in each direction, along the full six-kilometre stretch. The speed limit has been increased to 80 kilometres per hour – marking a significant boost to traffic flow through one of the region\u2019s busiest corridors. The opening of the full corridor marks a long-awaited milestone for the thousands of motorists who rely on this corridor every day.
The M1 to Raymond Terrace extension and Hexham Straight Widening is one of the largest transport infrastructure commitments in the region\u2019s history.
The Albanese Government is contributing over $1.79 billion towards the project, with the Minns Labor Government contributing $448 million.
The completed project includes new twin bridges over Ironbark Creek to support the widened roadway, upgraded and modernised traffic lights at the intersection of the bypass and Old Maitland Road, a new U-turn facility, and improved pedestrian crossings and bus stops in front of St Joseph\u2019s Calvary Aged Care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This will\u202fdeliver more reliable travel times for freight and improve safety for all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians.\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All lanes are now open to traffic, with teams carrying out minor finishing work across the project including landscaping and signage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These finishing works will include upgrades to the reserve along the Hunter River, Foreshore Park, comprising of upgraded parking, seating and information signage that shares the cultural heritage of the area from an Indigenous perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u202fFederal Infrastructure,\u202fTransport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister,\u00a0Catherine King:<\/strong>\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to announce the completion of the long-awaited Hexham Straight Widening project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis project is delivering real benefits for people in the Hunter including safer journeys and improved travel times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Albanese and Minns Labor Governments are proud to be working together in delivering for the Hunter – not only through this project but also the broader M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace, the Singleton Bypass, and plans for the Muswellbrook Bypass and the westbound flyover at Maitland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n NSW Minister for Roads,\u00a0Jenny Aitchison:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLike so many people across the Hunter, I\u2019ve sat in traffic at Hexham frustrated at the crawling speed and bottlenecks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know firsthand how disruptive and exhausting those delays have been for commuters, families and freight operators. Today, that changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith three lanes now open in each direction and the speed limit increased to 80km\/h, motorists will see real improvements in travel times and reliability along this critical corridor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is a fantastic outcome for our region and a genuine game-changer for the Hunter. It will improve travel times, strengthen freight productivity and play a major role in keeping our region moving as it continues to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n NSW Minister for the Hunter, Yasmin Catley:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is a landmark day for Hunter motorists and any driver who relies on this critical corridor. After years of delays and frustration, we can finally say the Hexham bottleneck is cleared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith three lanes now open in each direction and traffic moving more freely, this is about cutting congestion, improving reliability and giving people back precious time every single day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Hunter deserves infrastructure that matches our ambition, and today\u2019s milestone shows what can be achieved when we back our region and deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Federal Member\u00a0for\u00a0Newcastle, Sharon Claydon:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong> \u201cFor too long, Hexham straight has been a notorious bottleneck. Today, we are opening a safer, smoother, and more efficient journey for commuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis project is a great example of how government investment in infrastructure can change lives and support local economies \u2013 reducing congestion, cutting travel times, boosting road safety, and unlocking freight routes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n NSW\u00a0Member for Newcastle, Tim\u00a0Crakanthorp:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have already seen the benefits for local motorists and freight operators with the progressive opening of lanes on the Hexham Straight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis project is a gamechanger for the 50,000 motorists who use this section of the highway daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is just the first in a suite of projects in the Hunter which will improve safety, congestion and connectivity for local motorists, visitors and freight operators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n NSW\u00a0Member for Wallsend, Sonia Hornery:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHexham has been a daily frustration for so many people in the community. Whether you\u2019re heading to work, picking up the kids or moving freight through the Hunter, the bottleneck here has cost people time and added unnecessary stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis project will make a real difference to the way our region runs. It improves safety, reduces congestion and helps keep Newcastle and the broader Hunter moving as our community continues to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLocals have been waiting a long time for this, and it\u2019s fantastic to see it delivered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Motorists and the Hunter can finally say goodbye to the infamous Hexham bottleneck, with the long-awaited widening and higher speed limits now complete. From today, motorists can now travel on three lanes in each direction, along the full six-kilometre stretch. The speed limit has been increased to 80 kilometres per hour – marking a significant boost to traffic flow … Continue reading “Hexham bottleneck cleared in one of the Hunter\u2019s biggest road upgrades”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newcastle","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37664"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37665,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37664\/revisions\/37665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cThis completion of the Hexham Straight widening is a milestone moment for our region and the more than 50,000 motorists who travel this stretch of road every single day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n