Drivers hitting the road to the regions this festive season are being urged to plan ahead and drive to the conditions, with many roads still damaged and undergoing repairs following months of wet weather and flooding.
Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional NSW and Minister for Police Paul Toole said the Christmas road trip will be different to what motorists are used to.
"It might be called the silly season, but it's absolutely critical people are sensible on our roads these holidays. That means planning ahead, driving to the conditions and being courteous to other motorists," Mr Toole said.
"We all know that the Christmas holiday period is the busiest on our roads, but this year we need to take extra care so everyone arrives at their destination safely and can spend time with loved ones.
"Whether you're heading north along the Pacific Highway, west along the Great Western Highway or south along the Princes Highway, make sure you plan ahead and follow the advice on the best time to travel to avoid delays."
Increased traffic and delays are expected entering and leaving Sydney via the Hume Highway and Princes Highway to the south, Great Western Highway and Bells Line of Road to the west and Pacific Highway, M1 Pacific Motorway and NorthConnex to the north.
Holiday hotspots will be the most significant pinch points, particularly at Coffs Harbour, Hexham, Blackheath, Nowra and Jervis Bay.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said it was a popular time to travel around the state, but motorists should be aware many roads have been impacted.
"The reality is the road network has been hammered by one of the wettest years on record and many parts of the state are still experiencing flooding right now," Mr Farraway said.
"While we've already repaired 190,000 potholes since February, injected an extra $50 million into emergency pothole repair and deployed extra crews to the worst areas, there is still widespread damage, so people need to be wary and drive to the conditions.
"We have an immediate plan to restore our roads and we are working hard to make the network more resilient to withstand severe weather events in the future.
"I want to thank our Transport crews who are sacrificing time with their families over the holiday period to make our roads safer for everyone."
The Bogan, Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, Murray, Edwards, Barwon and Darling Rivers are still experiencing flooding.
To plan ahead download the Bureau of Meteorology app and check the latest traffic updates by downloading the Live Traffic NSW app, visiting livetraffic.com, calling 132 701, or using the TfNSW journey planning tool.
