William Scott
A joint $15 million investment from the Federal and New South Wales Governments is progressing planning work to help cut congestion, reduce journey times and improve safety at a major Hunter traffic bottleneck north of Sydney.
Currently, motorists face major travel time delays when navigating the junction of the M1 Pacific Motorway, John Renshaw Drive, Weakleys Drive and New England Highway at Beresfield.
These delays are driven by high traffic volumes, multiple traffic signals and a lack of road capacity.
The John Renshaw Drive project is jointly funded by the Federal and New South Wales Governments, with the Federal Government providing $12 million and the State Government providing $3 million.
The New South Wales Government will investigate upgrades to John Renshaw Drive including improvement options for the intersection of the M1 Motorway and Weakleys Drive; lane duplication of Weakleys Drive between Enterprise Drive and Canavan Drive; and access from Weakleys Drive to the New England Highway.
Once designed and delivered, the upgrades will reduce travel times for motorists and make movement of freight more efficient along a key part of the regional freight network which connects to the Port of Newcastle and Newcastle Airport.
Further traffic and economic modelling is being conducted to confirm what the proposed upgrades will include and the final design.
Timelines for construction will be dependent on further funding and planning approvals.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, said that these upgrades to John Renshaw Drive will improve safety and traffic flow for better travel times and more reliable trips, especially during peak periods.
“It will help meet current and future traffic demands in the area, as well as support the development of the proposed industrial areas and broader regional economy,” Ms King said.
New South Wales Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison, said that John Renshaw Drive is a key connector between Maitland, Newcastle, Cessnock, Wallsend and the Upper Hunter.
“Upgrades to John Renshaw Drive will support the development of proposed industrial areas as well as the broader regional economy by providing more efficient access for commuters and heavy freight between the Lower and Upper Hunter and to key regional employment areas such as the Port of Newcastle and Newcastle Airport,” Ms Aitchison said.
“This incredibly important planning is one of several projects, including M1 to Raymond Terrace and Hexham Straight Widening, we are undertaking to address current and predicted traffic growth at the critical strategic junction of the M1 Motorway, Pacific and New England highways.”
