Additional lanes have opened on the Hexham Straight for the second time in a week, with three northbound lanes now available on Maitland Road from Sparke Street to Hexham Bridge. This follows the opening of new southbound lanes at the end of October, and the first additional lanes in August.
The upgrade aims to ease congestion for the 50,000 motorists who use the corridor daily, one of the Hunter's most notorious bottlenecks. Once complete, the entire six-kilometre widening project will provide three lanes in each direction at an 80km/h speed limit.
The next milestone involves separating traffic on the new southbound bridge over Ironbark Creek, which currently carries four lanes. Traffic will soon shift to the new northbound bridge as work continues, with completion expected in the next few months.
The finished project is anticipated to open in the first few months of 2026. It is part of the M1 extension to Raymond Terrace, where a worker died on November 6. The projects are funded by a joint $2.24 billion investment from state and federal governments.
