By Sage Swinton
Updated March 27 2026 – 3:42pm, first published 3:34pm
Story available here.

The state government has committed $50 million for upgrades on a major Hunter highway, which a new taskforce has warned is at breaking point.

The government has pledged $50 million for upgrades primarily along the Golden Highway, as well as between the Port of Newcastle and the Central West, as part of the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ).

The funding is part of a $183.2 million package for renewable energy zones to support safer movement of oversize and overmass (OSOM) vehicles transporting components for wind and solar projects.

The funding announcement came after the federal government’s Regional Development Association (RDA) Orana and Hunter branches launched a new Golden Highway taskforce to push for “long-overdue upgrades to one of NSW’s most critical freight corridors”.

RDA Hunter and Orana undertook a transport study, which found previous transport assessments had significantly underestimated freight volumes on the highway, and the upgrades needed were “modest” compared to the benefits they would deliver.

The group said new analysis showed freight volumes were set to increase by 150 per cent in the next decade to 6.3 million tonnes, driven by mining, agriculture, containerised freight and the rapid expansion of renewable energy and minerals projects feeding into the Port of Newcastle.

They warned the escalation could intensify safety risks on a corridor that already records serious crashes and heavy-vehicle dominance.

The taskforce advocated for overtaking lanes every 10 kilometres on the highway, modifications to three bridges, improvements to four intersections, completion of the Maryville-Gulgong rail line and upgrading the Gulgong-Ulan line to a 25-tonne axle limit.

The NSW government confirmed it would fast-track priority projects on the Golden Highway from early 2026.

These include town entry gateway treatments to improve safety through towns and villages, which began in February, shoulder widening and pavement rehabilitation to improve OSOM vehicle access and route resilience, intersection upgrades such as turning lanes or widened shoulders, additional pullover bays for OSOM vehicles and “intelligent transport systems” including traffic cameras to improve incident response times.

NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison attended the inaugural RDA taskforce meeting.

She said the work of the taskforce highlighted “how important it is we get this right”.

“The Golden Highway is a vital freight corridor for regional NSW – connecting industries, communities and supply chains right across the state,” she said.

“These upgrades recognise a simple reality. Our regional communities are at the heart of our renewable energy future and for too long they’ve had to bear the brunt of the transition without the infrastructure to support it.”

RDA Hunter chair Ian Pedersen said upgrading the Golden Highway delivered “far more value than it costs”.

“For roughly half a billion dollars, NSW would gain more than a billion dollars in safety improvements, reduced travel times and a freight network that actually works for the whole state,” he said.

“The rail upgrades deliver the same kind of value – big benefits for a sensible level of investment.”