Construction underway on Hexham Straight as drilling begins on M1 extension

Work has begun on the congestion-busting Hexham Straight project as the 15-kilometre M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace progresses to geotechnical drilling ahead of major construction later this year.

The Australian and NSW governments welcomed the progress on both projects, which will end long-time traffic bottlenecks, get tens of thousands of vehicles off local roads and create thousands of jobs in the Hunter.

The Hexham Straight is expected to open to traffic in 2026 while the M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace is on track to open in 2028.

The combined project cost is $2.1 billion, with the Australian Government contributing $1.68 billion and the NSW Government contributing $420 million.

Full media release available here (PDF, 222.83 KB)