Nearly 70,000 drivers a day battle the M1 Pacific Motorway through the Tweed, and now $30 million is on the table to plan the fixes this stretch of road desperately needs.
The NSW and federal governments have each committed $15 million to fund modelling, concept designs, and economic analysis for upgrades to key intersections along the M1 corridor between Tweed Heads and Byron Bay.
Planning will begin immediately on targeted short-term improvements at some of the region’s worst pinch points, including Kennedy Drive and Minjungbal Drive in Tweed Heads, Darlington Drive at Banora Point, and Tweed Coast Road at Chinderah. The funding will also kick off planning for upgrades at Ewingsdale Road, the main gateway into Byron Bay.
NSW Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison said the North Coast was on the edge of a period of enormous growth, and the road network needed to keep pace.
“The M1 Pacific Motorway is one of Australia’s most important transport corridors, connecting communities, supporting freight and driving economic activity between NSW and Queensland.”
“But for the 70,000 people who use the M1 every day, congestion isn’t just frustrating, it’s time away from family, delayed freight, longer commutes and missed opportunities.”
“It’s the nurse getting home late, the tradie losing productive hours and parents missing dinner with their kids.”
NSW Minister for the North Coast Janelle Saffin said the investment would target the worst bottlenecks while mapping out what the corridor needs in the decades ahead.
“This $30 million planning funding will ultimately help fix the worst pinch points, like Kennedy Drive and Tweed Coast Road, while simultaneously mapping out the long-term upgrades this corridor desperately needs.”
Federal Minister for Infrastructure Catherine King said both governments had a track record on the M1, pointing to the St Helena Tunnel and ongoing work on the Coffs Harbour bypass.
“We know here on the North Coast, some interchanges between Tweed and Byron Bay can back up quickly.”
“That’s why our $15 million investment, now matched by the NSW Government, will undertake essential modelling, planning and design work that is needed to future-proof this booming regional highway.”
Member for Richmond Justine Elliot said the funding would deliver planning and design work for key interchanges from Tweed Heads to Chinderah, as well as longer-term work at Ewingsdale Road.
“As your local Labor MP, I’m proud to be building on more than $3 billion I’ve already delivered for our region, including making our roads safer with the duplication of the Pacific Highway between Sexton Hill and Ballina.”
NSW Labor spokesperson for Tweed and Ballina Emily Suvaal said the upgrades were overdue for anyone who regularly travels the corridor.
“It’s not just about easing congestion now. It’s about making sure our road network can handle the growth this region is already living through.”
Beyond intersection upgrades, the funding will also investigate public transport and bus priority infrastructure across the North Coast, as well as improvements to freight movements between NSW and Queensland. Future investigations will consider additional works at Kennedy Drive and Minjungbal Drive, Tweed Coast Road at Chinderah, and the Kirkwood Road and Gold Coast Highway interchanges.