Lane closures on John Renshaw Drive and Golden Highway for Port to REZ upgrades

newy.com.au – Motorists using John Renshaw Drive near Buchanan and the Golden Highway through the Hunter and Central West are being warned of lane closures, reduced speed limits and short delays from this week as intersection upgrades for the Port to Renewable Energy Zone project roll out.

Transport for NSW says the works are part of a program to upgrade key intersections between the Port of Newcastle and the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone, with changed traffic conditions now in place or starting shortly at eight locations from Mayfield North to Elong Elong. In a statement, the agency said, “Motorists are advised of changed traffic conditions from this week on John Renshaw Drive and along the Golden Highway for intersection upgrades associated with the Port to Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) project.”

The main Hunter locations include the eastbound exit ramp from the Hunter Expressway onto John Renshaw Drive at Buchanan, the New England Highway and Mitchell Line of Road (Golden Highway) at Whittingham, the intersection of Industrial Drive, Selwyn Street and George Street at Mayfield North, and the Golden Highway near Lonsdale and Pringle streets at Jerrys Plains. Further west, work is also under way or scheduled at Golden Highway intersections with Vinegaroy Road at Cassilis, Castlereagh Highway and Barneys Reef Road at Birriwa, Spring Ridge Road at Cobbora and Saxa Road at Elong Elong. Detailed Live Traffic NSW listings are available at www.livetraffic.com, while project information is on the Renewables Transportation page at https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/rez

At Buchanan, scheduled roadwork on John Renshaw Drive at the Hunter Expressway exit ramp is programmed from Wednesday 19 November to Friday 21 November 2025, with work at night between 7pm and 5am. Live Traffic NSW advises traffic will be affected in both directions, with a reduced 40km/h speed limit, traffic controllers on site and motorists asked to allow about 10 minutes of additional travel time.

Intersection upgrade work at Mayfield is listed from Monday 15 September 2025 to Sunday 15 March 2026 on Industrial Drive at Vine Street, affecting traffic in both directions on weekdays between 8.30am and 4.30pm. Advice on the Live Traffic NSW notice is to check signage, exercise caution and observe a 40km/h limit, with drivers told to allow roughly five minutes extra for their trip.

On the Golden Highway at Jerrys Plains, roadwork between Lonsdale Street and Pringle Street is scheduled from Thursday 21 August 2025 to Friday 5 December 2025, with weekday work from 7am to 6pm. Traffic will be affected in both directions, with a reduced 40km/h speed limit and alternating stop–slow arrangements allowing vehicles through one direction at a time, and motorists are warned they may face delays of up to 10 minutes.

Along the New England Highway–Golden Highway junction at Whittingham, crews are carrying out daytime works on weekdays and Saturday mornings to upgrade the busy intersection used by freight and passenger traffic moving between Singleton and the Hunter Expressway. Shoulder and lane closures will be in place while the work is under way.

Further west on the REZ route, Transport for NSW says work at Cassilis, Birriwa, Cobbora and Elong Elong will be delivered on a rolling roster of ten consecutive working days from 7am to 6pm followed by four days off, continuing for the duration of the project. Rosters will always start on a Tuesday and finish on a Thursday, with days off from every second Friday through to Monday, meaning motorists on the Golden Highway and Castlereagh Highway can expect a repeating pattern of activity and quiet periods at the four intersections.

Across all sites, shoulder and lane closures will be in place and speed limits will be reduced to 40km/h while crews are working. Transport for NSW said, “Motorists are advised to drive to the conditions and follow the directions of signs and traffic control.”

Oversize overmass (OSOM) vehicles will still be able to travel through the Buchanan site, with no special restrictions in place. Signage on the approaches will display the VHF radio channel drivers should use to contact on-site traffic controllers, who will manage OSOM movements through the work area.

Transport for NSW has encouraged drivers to use digital tools to stay informed, advising motorists to download the Live Traffic NSW app, search for the relevant work site, select the incident pin and click “Follow” to receive alerts direct to their phone. “Transport for NSW thanks motorists for their patience during this time,” the agency said.