Plan your summer journey – allow extra time on the Pacific Highway at Hexham

TRANSPORT for NSW is encouraging motorists travelling on the Pacific Highway through Hexham to plan their trip and allow extra travel time during the Christmas New Year period, with high traffic volumes and delays expected.

The M1 Pacific Motorway at Beresfield and the Pacific Highway at Hexham are linked via John Renshaw Drive and the New England Highway, forming a major north-south route.

As a known pinch point, the busiest days for northbound traffic are predicted to be Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December, with expected delays of up to 30 minutes.

Southbound traffic is predicted to be heavy on Friday 2, 9 and 16 January with expected delays of up to 45 minutes.

Significant improvements have been made on the M1 Pacific Motorway and New England Highway since last summer, with noticeable changes in traffic flow.

However, speed limits remain reduced over the holiday period, even when work is paused for motorist safety.

Conditions may include narrow lanes, changed lane merges and altered traffic configurations.

Work on the Hexham Straight Widening, M1 Pacific Motorway to Raymond Terrace, and Rankin Park to Jesmond projects will pause from Friday 19 December 2025 and resume Monday 5 January 2026.

NSW Police will enforce double demerit points for speeding, motorcycle helmet, seatbelt and mobile phone offences from Wednesday 24 December 2025 to Sunday 4 January 2026.

Transport for NSW thanks motorists for their patience during this time.