Funding boost for NSW’s M1 Pacific Motorway Extension

The Federal Government is investing a further $80 million for the delivery of the M1 Pacific Motorway Extension to Raymond Terrace in Hunter, New South Wales – bringing the Australian Government’s total investment in the project to $1.68 billion.

The $2.1 billion project is being jointly funded by the Australian and the NSW governments, with the NSW Government committing the remaining $420 million.

The upgrade includes 15 kilometres of dual carriageway motorway with two lanes in each direction bypassing Hexham and Heatherbrae, interchanges at Black Hill, Tarro, Tomago, and Raymond Terrace and a 2.6 kilometre bridge over Woodlands Close, the Main Northern Railway, New England Highway and Hunter River.

The project will aim to improve connections between the M1 Pacific Motorway and the Pacific Highway, improve traffic flows, improve accessibility and improve safety.

This additional funding will also enable the delivery of the Hexham Straight Widening project, which is currently going through planning approval processes.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said the extension will get people home sooner and safer and keep freight moving.

“This will ease congestion for more than 25,000 vehicles a day travelling between Newcastle and Maitland, keeping commuters moving and giving them time back in their day,” he said.

“The project will also deliver an important economic boost to the Hunter region, supporting around 2700 jobs during construction and creating opportunities for local businesses.

Transport for NSW called for registrations of interest from prequalified contractors in October last year to deliver the extension project. There is currently a call for supply partners to register their details for the project.

For more information on the project, click here.