New 15-kilometre motorway will improve safety by moving traffic off local roads.
The new 15-kilometre motorway connection between Black Hill and Raymond Terrace closes a missing link in the Sydney to Brisbane economic corridor and strengthens one of Australia’s most important freight routes.
The Australian and New South Wales governments jointly funded the M1 Pacific Motorway extension and Hexham Straight widening projects through a total investment of $2.24 billion.
The project supported local jobs and training with 70 per cent of the workforce drawn from the Hunter region and training opportunities for 99 apprentices and trainees.
After years of planning and construction, the M1 extension will become part of everyday life across the Hunter, supporting safer and more reliable movement of people and freight.
The extension will improve access to jobs, businesses, communities and major regional infrastructure, including Newcastle Airport and the Port of Newcastle.
It will also take pressure off the existing road network, cutting travel times by 7 to 9 minutes during peak hours and removing up to 25,000 vehicles a day from local streets.
