en.Wedoany.com Reported - The New South Wales Government (NSW Government) and the Australian Government will each contribute $15 million in the 2026-27 NSW Budget to jointly initiate planning upgrades for the M1 Pacific Motorway between Tweed Heads and Byron Bay. This total $30 million funding plan aims to improve freight capacity, safety, and traffic congestion on this key interstate corridor.
The funding will support modeling, concept design, and economic analysis for future upgrades at critical intersections along the North Coast section of the M1 corridor.
The M1 Pacific Motorway is a nationally significant transport corridor connecting Sydney and Brisbane. On the North Coast, it supports freight movement between NSW and Queensland, while also carrying local traffic, tourists, and cross-border commuters. With strong population growth on the North Coast and rising transport demand ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, the route faces increasing pressure. Currently, approximately 70,000 vehicles use the M1 daily at Tweed Heads.
NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison stated that this corridor plays a critical role in regional and interstate transport. Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King noted that some interchanges between Tweed and Byron Bay on the North Coast may soon become congested, and this investment will fund the necessary modeling, planning, and design work to ensure the highway can meet future demand.
The funding will support planning for short-term improvements at several key locations, including Kennedy Drive and Minjungbal Drive in Tweed Heads, Darlington Drive at Banora Point, Tweed Coast Road at Chinderah, and Ewingsdale Road, the key gateway to Byron Bay. Further planning will also consider additional upgrades at Kennedy Drive and Minjungbal Drive, improvements to Tweed Coast Road, and upgrades to the Kirkwood Road and Gold Coast Highway interchanges.
This funding is not yet allocated for construction and will primarily develop the planning, design, and economic analysis required for future works. The funding will also support investigations into public transport and bus priority infrastructure, as well as improvements to facilitate more efficient freight movement between the two states.
Major capacity upgrades have been completed north of the border in Queensland, increasing the importance of targeted planning on the NSW side of the corridor. NSW North Coast Minister Janelle Saffin stated that this $30 million planning funding will help address the most severe bottlenecks, such as Kennedy Drive and Tweed Coast Road, while planning the long-term upgrades urgently needed for this corridor.
