Newcastle and surrounds - traffic impacts

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.

• 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 Sparke Street to Shamrock Street on Sunday 17 August
• 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 Shamrock Street to Merchant Stret on Monday 18 August
• 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 Hexham Station to north of the Oak Precinct on Sunday 17 August and Monday 18 August
• 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 (East) to Old Maitland Road (West) on Sunday 17 August and Thursday 21 August
• There will be in a contraflow arrangement on the southbound lanes of Maitland Road and a temporary reduced speed of 40km/h will be in place from Hexham Station to north of the Oak Precinct on Tuesday 19 August
• There will be in a contraflow arrangement on the southbound lanes of Maitland Road and a temporary reduced speed of 40km/h will be in place from Old Maitland Road, Sandgate to Ironbark Creek bridge from Tuesday 19 August to Thursday 21 August
• 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 Hexham Station to north of the Oak Precinct on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 August
• 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 Tuesday 19 August to Thursday 21 August. There will be a ‘blackout’ to traffic lights on Maitland Road, located at intersection of Sparke Street and Maitland Road on Tuesday 19 August and Wednesday 20 August
• There will be in a contraflow arrangement on the southbound 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) from Monday 18 August to Wednesday 20 August.

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.
 

Changed traffic conditions will be in place while we undertake construction work for the M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace.

Motorists should be aware of the following changes at Tomago;

• Northbound lanes of the Pacific Highway at Tomago Road are now diverted over a new bridge and onto a new alignment towards Heatherbrae and Raymond Terrace. 

Stage one Old Punt Road partial closure  

• Northbound right turn to Old Punt Road from the Pacific Highway is closed as part of the traffic change. Access to Tomago is via Tomago Road.
• Northbound right turn to Pacific Highway from Old Punt Road is closed as part of the traffic change. A new right turn from Tomago Road to Pacific Highway is available. 

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. 

The work will also require lane closures with intermittent stoppages and temporary speed reductions to 40km/h at the following locations and times: 

From 7pm to 5am, on the nights of Monday 18 August until Friday 22 August 

• 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 18 August until Friday 22 August 

• 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.

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.
Upcoming events:

• Friday 15 August 7:30pm – Urzila Carlson at Newcastle Entertainment Centre

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.