Newcastle and surrounds - traffic impacts

Plan your journey these spring holidays – heavy holiday traffic expected on the Pacific Highway at Hexham

Motorists travelling on the Pacific Highway through Hexham are encouraged to plan their trip and allow extra travel time during the spring school holidays and Labour Day long weekend, with high traffic volumes and delays expected.   

As a known pinch point, the busiest day for northbound traffic is predicted to be Friday 3 October. Southbound traffic is predicted to be heavy on Monday 6 October and Tuesday 7 October with expected delays of more than 30 minutes at times.

More details about predicted delays at Hexham and other known holiday traffic pinch points are available on the NSW Holiday and Journey planning website.

Changed traffic conditions are in place at Beresfield and Black Hill.

Read the latest media release for more information.

Operators of oversize and/or over mass vehicles with a ground contact wider than 3.2 metres or with overall width wider than 4.5 metres are advised to contact project teams at least one day ahead of a proposed movement. Significant delays can occur through failure to make contact prior to travel.

Please note vehicles travelling under a permit must not travel off the approved route listed in the permit unless an updated permit is obtained from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. 

Project contacts for OSOM operators 

For Hexham project phone - 1800 515 141. The project operates on UHF channel 45.

For M1 to Raymond Terrace project phone - 0423 323 946

For Rankin Park to Jesmond project phone - 1800 818 433. The project operates on UHF channel 57 at the Jesmond Interchange and UHF Channel 52 at the Southern Interchange.

Changed traffic conditions will be in place to progress work for the Hexham Straight Widening project.

• Lane closures and a temporary reduced speed of 40km/h will be in place on the southbound lanes of Maitland Road, located from Shamrock Street to Fenwick Street on Sunday 28 September.
• Traffic will be in a contraflow arrangement on the northbound lanes of Maitland Road and a temporary reduced speed of 40km/h will be in place from Old Maitland Road (east) to Old Maitland Road (west) on Sunday 28 September and Monday 29 September. On Monday 29 September, vehicles travelling northbound to access Old Maitland Road (east) will need to detour north under Hexham bridge via Maitland Road.
• Lane closures and a temporary reduced speed of 40km/h will be in place on the southbound lanes of Maitland Road, located from Old Maitland Road to Ironbark Creek bridge on Sunday 28 September and Monday 29 September.
• Lane closures and a temporary reduced speed of 40km/h will be in place on the northbound and southbound lanes of Maitland Road, located from Sparke Street to Shamrock Street from Sunday 28 September to Wednesday 1 October.
• Traffic will be in a contraflow arrangement on the northbound lanes of Maitland Road and a temporary reduced speed of 40km/h will be in place from Old Maitland Road (east) to Shamrock Street on Tuesday 30 September and Wednesday 1 October.
• Lane closures and a temporary reduced speed of 40km/h will be in place on the northbound lanes of Maitland Road, located from Old Maitland Road (east) to Old Maitland Road (west) on Wednesday 1 October and Thursday 2 October.
• Traffic will be in a contraflow arrangement on the northbound lanes of Maitland Road and a temporary reduced speed of 40km/h will be in place from Old Maitland Road (east) to Sparke Street on Thursday 2 October.
• Lane closures and a temporary reduced speed of 40km/h will be in place on the northbound and southbound lanes of Maitland Road, located from Old Maitland Road (west) to the Oak Precinct from Sunday 28 September to Thursday 2 October.
   

A temporary speed limit of 60km/h will remain in place through the project work zone during ongoing day work, with a reduction to 40km/h during night work.

Major work will continue from 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday, out of hours from 7pm to 7am Sunday to Thursday and Saturday from 8am to 1pm.

We remind all drivers to travel safely through construction zones and adhere to the posted speed limits.
 

Motorists are advised of changed traffic conditions from Monday 29 September until Friday 3 October while we undertake construction work for the M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace.  

On the nights of Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 October 2025, the slip lane from the New England Highway onto John Renshaw Drive at Beresfield will be closed. An alternate route for westbound motorists is to continue on the New England Highway, turn left onto Weakleys Drive, and follow Weakleys Drive back to the John Renshaw Drive traffic lights. Please note that this detour is unsuitable for vehicles operating on the SPV Level 6, SPV Level 4 & 12t/ axle & SPV Level networks. Over-size over-mass vehicles and special purpose vehicles will be escorted through the closure. 

From 7pm to 5am, on the nights of Monday 29 September until Friday 3 October:

• M1 Pacific Motorway at Beresfield and Black Hill
• John Renshaw Drive at Beresfield
• New England Highway at Tarro
• Pacific Highway at Tomago and Heatherbrae 
   

From 7am to 5pm, Monday 29 September until Friday 3 October:

• Lenaghans Drive at Black Hill
• Old Punt Road near Pacific Highway at Tomago
• New England Highway Eastbound at Tarro 

Operators of oversize and/or overmass vehicles with a ground contact wider than 3.2 metres or with overall width wider than 4.5 metres are advised to contact the project team on 0423 323 946 at least one day ahead of proposed movement. Significant delays can occur through failure to make contact prior to travel.

Please note vehicles travelling under a permit must not travel off the approved route listed in the permit unless an updated permit is obtained from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.

Major construction work will continue across the project from 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and Saturday from 8am to 5pm, as well as out of hours from 7pm to 5am Monday to Friday nights.

Changed traffic conditions remain in place as part of the Rankin Park to Jesmond project.

Night work will take place Sunday to Thursday nights between 7pm and 5am until Thursday 2 October, weather permitting.

To carry out the work there will be changed overnight traffic conditions, including single lane closures on Newcastle Road between Drury Street and Robinson Avenue.

Over Size Over Mass operations with a ground contact wider than 3.2m or with overall width wider than 4.5m are advised to contact the project team at least one day ahead of movement on 1800 818 433. Significant delays will occur if failure to contact. OSOM operators are advised the project operates on UHF channel 57 at the Jesmond Interchange. 

Motorists are advised to drive to the conditions and follow the directions of signs and traffic control.

We remind all drivers to travel safely through construction zones and adhere to the posted speed limits.

For more information on the Rankin Park to Jesmond Project visit​​​​​ Rankin Park to Jesmond - Newcastle Inner City Bypass

Transport for NSW undertakes maintenance on Hexham bridge.

Monthly maintenance on the southbound Hexham Bridge is generally carried out on the second Thursday of every month.

Bi-annual maintenance work on the bridge which includes inspecting, testing, and servicing the lift span systems, as well as general routine bridge maintenance. The work is carried out at night to minimise disruption to traffic.

The bridge opens for recreational commuting access about 120 times are year. More information about the southbound Hexham Bridge opening times and bookings can be found on the Bridge opening times page Hexham Bridge openings.

• Port of Newcastle to Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone - intersection upgrades June to December 2025. View traffic impacts and more details.

At times, major events in the Newcastle precinct may have an impact on traffic through our project sites.

• School holiday and October long weekend traffic.

Oversize and/or Overmass (OSOM) loads are a common sight on NSW roads. In the Hunter region, this is particularly true, with nightly movements in and out of the Port of Newcastle. 

OSOM loads are generally undertaken at night to reduce impacts to motorists and are escorted by a pilot vehicle. In general terms OSOM loads are more than 2.5 metres wide - meaning they can take up more than half the road - and 4.6 metres high.

Motorists may see the movement of large-scale construction infrastructure on the network including bridge girders and earthworks equipment as Transport for NSW navigate temporary changes to select OSOM movements to and from Tomago Industrial Area and Port of Newcastle through projects including M1 extension to Raymond Terrace, Hexham Straight Widening and Newcastle Inner City Bypass Rankin Park to Jesmond. 

For the safety of OSOM operators, motorists and workers on the road, please slow down, be aware and be respectful, so we can all get home safe. 

We advise motorists to exercise caution and allow additional travel time when travelling around OSOM loads.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has information to help you safely drive around OSOM loads. 

• Sharing our roads with oversize loads (nhvr.gov.au)

We appreciate the impact cumulative impacts can have on regular commuters. As work on the projects intensifies, delays will increase and considering alternate routes or public transport will be more viable. 

Please note that these alternate routes are suggested for light vehicles only. Heavy vehicles, including over size and/or over mass must refer to and comply with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) national network maps. Operators of Class 1, 2 & 3 vehicles travelling under a permit MUST NOT travel off the approved route listed in the permit unless an updated permit is obtained from the NHVR.

Map 1 – Hexham: Motorists could consider using this alternate route to avoid the Hexham area if travelling north to south or south to north on a regular basis.

Map 2 – Raymond Terrace: Motorists travelling from Sydney to towards Raymond Terrace area could consider detouring via Thornton and Millers Forest

Map 3 – Wallsend: Motorists travelling between Port Stephens and Newcastle could consider travelling via Wallsend

Map 4 - Upper Hunter: Motorists travelling between Newcastle and the Upper Hunter region could consider routes towards Wallsend and Seahampton

Map 5 – Medowie: If travelling from Newcastle to Raymond Terrace or Medowie, consider taking Nelson Bay Road.