With the Christmas and New Year period around the corner, high traffic volumes and delays are expected along the Pacific Highway through Hexham.
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.
Since last summer, significant improvements have been made on the M1 Pacific Motorway and New England Highway, 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 December 19 2025 and resume Monday January 5 2026.
NSW Police will enforce double demerit points for speeding, motorcycle helmet, seatbelt and mobile phone offences from Wednesday December 24 2025 to Sunday January 4 2026.