Overnight opening of new southbound Ironbark Creek Bridge on Maitland Road

5 December 2025

newy.com.au – Northbound traffic on Maitland Road at Hexham has been shifted onto the new Ironbark Creek bridge from Friday 5 December, with overnight lane changes and speed restrictions to continue as part of the Hexham Straight Widening project.

Transport for NSW says the overnight work is designed to keep construction moving while maintaining traffic flow on one of the Hunter’s key freight and commuter links, and is urging motorists to allow extra travel time and follow directions from traffic controllers. Hexham Straight is a critical pinch point on the route between Newcastle and the Hunter Valley.

Under the new layout, northbound vehicles are now travelling on the northbound side of the newly built bridge over Ironbark Creek, while the two southbound lanes continue to use the existing southbound bridge. Both carriageways are currently two lanes in this section, and further night work and clean-up will be carried out over coming nights before this stage of the upgrade is finalised.

Transport for NSW has advised that the speed limit on the southbound lanes of Maitland Road between the Ironbark Creek bridge and the southern end of the project will be increased from 60km/h to 80km/h once remaining roadwork equipment is removed and final works are completed. Until then, temporary reduced speed limits will stay in place through the work zone.

Overnight work will continue between 7pm and 5am, weather permitting, to support the bridge and road widening activities. A 60km/h limit applies during daytime construction across the broader project area, dropping to 40km/h during night works while crews and machinery are on the road. Motorists are being asked to slow down, obey signage and consider using alternative routes where possible.

Major daytime construction will continue from 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday. Out-of-hours work is scheduled from 7pm to 7am Sunday to Thursday, and on Saturdays between 8am and 1pm, as crews work to progress the widening of Hexham Straight.

Oversize and overmass vehicle operators have been given specific instructions for moving through the site. Loads with a ground contact wider than 3.4 metres or an overall width greater than 4.5 metres are asked to contact the project team at least one day before travelling through the area on 1800 515 141. The agency has warned that “significant delays will occur” if operators fail to make prior contact. The project is operating on UHF channel 45 for oversize vehicle coordination.

Transport for NSW has reminded permit holders they must remain on the approved route listed in their National Heavy Vehicle Regulator permit and obtain an updated permit if any deviation is required.

Drivers are being told to allow up to 15 minutes of extra travel time when passing through the Hexham Straight work zone. Motorists can access more information and ongoing updates through the Live Traffic NSW app and website, or by searching “Hexham” in the app, selecting the relevant incident and clicking “Follow” for alerts to be sent directly to their phone.