NORTHBOUND drivers headed through the Hunter have been warned to expect 15-minute delays at Port Stephens as Easter traffic begins to build.
Live Traffic NSW had warned drivers to expect high volumes of holiday traffic approaching Hexham and towards Heatherbrae ahead of the long weekend.
By 1pm, the stretch from Beresfield to Heatherbrae was costing drivers on their way north a quarter of an hour.
Double demerits have already come into force for the festive period in which seven people died last year.
The predicted congestion on the pinch point follows a five-car collision at Bar Point on the M1 near Jolls Bridge earlier during the day.
Traffic in that area was heavy, but the site has been cleared and the alert removed.
