The Hunter\u2019s largest infrastructure project is powering ahead, with the M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace now expected to open to traffic in late 2026 -more than a year earlier than originally planned.
This accelerated timeline comes as the project reaches a major milestone, with the northern section, the Heatherbrae Bypass, now complete.
The M1 Pacific Motorway extension and Hexham Straight widening projects are being funded jointly with a total investment of $2.24 billion – $1.792 billion provided by the Albanese Labor Government and $448 million from the Minns Labor Government.
Significant progress has been made on the ground, including the completion of five kilometres of new motorway forming the Heatherbrae Bypass.
As part of the northern section, the Raymond Terrace interchange, the Masonite Road overpass and a major bridge crossing at Windeyers Creek have also all been completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Completion of the Heatherbrae Bypass means this section of the M1 extension is ready to go, and will open as soon as work on the 10-kilometre southern section from Black Hill to Tomago is complete, later this year. Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister, Catherine King: NSW Minister for Roads, Jenny Aitchison:\u000f\u000f\u201cSeeing a project of this scale moving more than a year ahead of schedule doesn\u2019t happen by chance \u2013 it\u2019s down to the incredible crews on the ground getting the job done. the Member for Port Stephens, Kate Washington: Member for Paterson, Meryl Swanson: Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon: the State Member for Wallsend, Sonia Hornery: The Hunter\u2019s largest infrastructure project is powering ahead, with the M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace now expected to open to traffic in late 2026 -more than a year earlier than originally planned.This accelerated timeline comes as the project reaches a major milestone, with the northern section, the Heatherbrae Bypass, now complete.The M1 Pacific … Continue reading “M1 EXTENSION FAST TRACKED FOR EARLY OPENING WITH HEATHERBRAE BYPASS COMPLETE”<\/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],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newcastle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38327","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=38327"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38328,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38327\/revisions\/38328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Following opening, contractors will remain on site to monitor how the new road adjusts to carrying highway traffic, undertake landscaping establishment, and targeted maintenance as required \u2013 for up to two years on the southern section and one year on the northern section.
The project\u2019s early delivery has been supported by detailed planning, staged construction sequencing and strong delivery partnerships, helping bring forward the benefits for motorists travelling to, from and around the Hunter.
For more information and to sign up for regular updates on the progress of the M1 extension visit www.nswroads.work\/m12rtportal: http:\/\/www.nswroads.work\/m12rtportal<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is a big day for one of the largest infrastructure projects in the Hunter\u2019s history. Completion of the Heatherbrae section of this project means we are well and truly past the halfway mark, with all work set to be completed by the end of the year.
\u201cThe school holiday traffic we\u2019re seeing on the existing highway right now is a great reminder as to why this project is vital. Nearly 25,000 vehicles use this road on a normal day, with that number swelling during the holiday breaks.
\u201cThis is just one of a number of important investments the Albanese and Minns Labor Governments are making in the fast-growing Hunter region, ensuring we have safe and reliable road network for decades to come.\u201d\u000f\u000fQuotes attributable to NSW Minister for the Hunter, Yasmin Catley: \u000f\u000f\u201cOnly Labor is delivering the infrastructure the Hunter needs to keep moving forward.
\u201cWe are investing heavily in the infrastructure our community relies on and projects like this mean less time in traffic and more time doing what matters.
\u201cNow that the Heatherbrae Bypass is complete, this next step is linking it properly into the motorway so the benefits are felt right across the Hunter.
\u201cReaching this milestone is incredibly exciting and even more so because we\u2019re opening ahead of schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs one of the largest infrastructure projects in the region\u2019s history, the M1 extension will deliver faster, safer and more reliable journeys for communities across the region.
\u201cThe project is now progressing ahead of the previously expected 2028 completion, with the full motorway on track to open in late 2026.
\u201cReaching this milestone with the northern section, including the Heatherbrae Bypass, shows just how much progress is being made and brings us one step closer to delivering a fully connected motorway.
\u201cI want to give a huge thanks to the crews and everyone involved in delivering this phase of the project. The completion of Heatherbrae Bypass is the result of detailed planning, smart construction sequencing and a strong partnership between Transport for NSW and its industry partners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy community is excited to see the M1 extension to Raymond Terrace being delivered a full year ahead of schedule.
\u201cBy the end of the year, we’ll finally be able say goodbye to the Hexham Bridge bottleneck.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe completion of the Heatherbrae Bypass is another major milestone delivered by the Albanese and Minns Labor Governments, and a clear sign we are one step closer on completing this project for our community.\u201d
\u201cI committed to delivering the M1 Pacific Motorway Extension to Raymond Terrace, and it\u2019s been incredibly rewarding to watch it take shape. Seeing it power ahead of schedule is a testament to the hard work behind the scenes – and it means the Hunter will benefit from this vital infrastructure sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNovocastrians know better than anyone how frustrating the bottlenecks around Hexham and Heatherbrae can be.
\u201cThis project means less time stuck in traffic and more time at home with family \u2013 that\u2019s a real, everyday win for our community.
\u201cSeeing this progress brings us closer to a solution that will genuinely improve the way Novocastrians move every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCompleting the northern section, including the Heatherbrae Bypass, is a huge achievement for everyone involved in this project.
\u201cThis is a big piece of infrastructure that will take pressure off local roads and improve safety once the full motorway is open.
\u201cIt\u2019s great to see the project tracking ahead of schedule and moving closer to a late 2026 opening for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"