Three lanes open each way as Hexham Straight widening completed

newy.com.au – Motorists can now travel in three lanes each way at 80km/h along the full six kilometre Hexham Straight in the Hunter after the widening project was declared complete on Friday 27 February 2026.

The upgrade forms part of the M1 to Raymond Terrace extension and Hexham Straight Widening, which the Albanese and Minns Labor governments have described as one of the region’s largest transport infrastructure commitments, aimed at easing a long-running congestion point used by commuters and freight.

Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King, NSW Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison and NSW Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said all lanes were open, with the Commonwealth contributing more than $1.79 billion and the NSW Government $448 million.

The completed works include new twin bridges over Ironbark Creek to support the wider 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 outside St Joseph’s Calvary Aged Care.

Minor finishing work will continue across the site, including landscaping and signage, along with upgrades to the reserve on the Hunter River at Foreshore Park, featuring improved parking, seating and information signs sharing cultural heritage from an Indigenous perspective.

King said she was “thrilled” to announce completion and said the project was “delivering real benefits” for the Hunter, including “safer journeys and improved travel times”.

She said the Albanese and Minns Labor governments were also working on the broader M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace, the Singleton Bypass and plans for the Muswellbrook Bypass and a westbound flyover at Maitland.

Aitchison said she had “sat in traffic at Hexham frustrated at the crawling speed and bottlenecks” and told motorists: “Today, that changes.” She said the extra lanes and higher speed limit would deliver “real improvements in travel times and reliability along this critical corridor”.

Catley said drivers could “finally say the Hexham bottleneck is cleared”, while Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon said the completion was a milestone for the “more than 50,000 motorists who travel this stretch of road every single day”.

NSW Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp and NSW Member for Wallsend Sonia Hornery said the progressive opening of lanes had already delivered benefits, with Hornery saying the bottleneck had “cost people time and added unnecessary stress” for locals heading to work, school runs and freight trips.