Two of the city's roads earmarked for major upgrades in the fifth stage of construction on the Newcastle Inner City Bypass have featured in the NRMA Rate Your Road survey for 2023.
The member-owned mutual and insurer released initial results of its ongoing annual roads survey on Friday, in which drivers name and rate local roads for safety, congestion and condition.
More than 1260 votes were collected from the Newcastle local government area, of the more than 28,000 total, and largely identified congestion as an issue at key points across the city.
The Pacific Highway at Tarro and Hexham, Minmi Road at Maryland, and Hexham straight have all scored poorly for road congestion, while Newcastle Road at Wallsend and Lookout Road at New Lambton were rated for condition.
The fifth stage of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass between Rankin Park and Jesmond, where contractors have recently begun the main phase of construction after initial concept plans were first released in 2016, has promised to remove as many as 30,000 vehicles from Newcastle and Lookout roads each day when the section is completed in 2025.
The Hexham straight, meanwhile, has been a talking point in the lead up to the NSW election later this month, as a $2.1 billion extension of the M1 through Raymond Terrace - which also promises to widen the way through the Pacific Highway and Maitland Road and remove as many as 25,000 cars a day from congestion points there - won state and federal approval earlier this month.
The project has been billed as on of the Hunter's biggest infrastructure builds and will connect the Pacific and M1 motorways in a 15-kilometre thoroughfare connecting Black Hill to Raymond Terrace.
Paterson MP Meryl Swanson said at the time the M1 extension was approved that it had been a focus since she was first elected seven years ago.
"I know Hunter locals who frequently travel between Maitland and Newcastle are very much looking forward to this extension, making for a safer and faster journey," she said.
Congestion in and around Newcastle has been a common complaint for commuters for years as traffic ground to a halt a bottleneck points, and crashes causing havoc, make regular appearances in the headlines.
The NRMA survey, which opened in December and collected a record number of votes, is used by the insurer in its advocacy for government roads spending and policy.
"We know this community-led advocacy works; some of the state's worst roads no longer make the list because Governments have responded by investing in solutions," NRMA local director Kirsten Molloy said Friday.
"This has helped save lives, boosted our economy and got our Members home to their families faster."
