The final girders are now in place on the new northbound bridge over Ironbark Creek (Toohrnbing) on the Hexham Straight Widening, as part of the $2.2 billion M1 Pacific Motorway Extension to Raymond Terrace.
A 400-tonne crane has lifted a total of 65 girders into place, each weighing around 20 tonnes – equivalent to the weight of 10 family cars – forming the foundation of the new three lane northbound bridge.
With around 50,000 vehicles using this stretch of road daily, the project aims to relieve congestion, improve safety and provide more reliable travel for both commuters and freight operators.
“A big well done to the Hexham Straight Widening team who have worked tirelessly on upgrading this important stretch of the Pacific Highway,” member for Wallsend Sonia Hornery says.
“Once complete, this project will improve traffic flow for motorists and freight which mean safer journeys and more reliable travel times.”
Transport for NSW and its delivery partners – an alliance of Georgiou, Daracon Contractors and SMEC – are now focused on completing the bridge deck, installing barriers and progressing final road surfacing.
The new northbound bridge is expected to open to traffic by early 2026, weather permitting.
This six-kilometre upgrade between the Newcastle Inner City Bypass and Hexham Bridge will see the current two-lane dual carriageway widened to three lanes in each direction, removing a well-known bottleneck and helping to future-proof the region’s road network.
Motorists are already seeing the transformation take shape, and more changes will become visible as construction continues. Some temporary lane closures and speed reductions will be required at times, with updates available through Live Traffic NSW.