More than 20 years later, communities came together at New Italy on Thursday (December 17) to celebrate the completion of the 657 kilometre Pacific Highway duplication.

The final section from Woolgoolga to Ballina is open to traffic.

The NSW and federal governments jointly funded the largest road infrastructure project in the country.

While there were celebrations, the completion of the major road project also came with time to reflect. Hundreds of lives have been lost on the Pacific Highway, and too close to home on the Mid North Coast on a horror stretch between Port Macquarie and Kundabung.

This $820 million section of highway was completed in 2017 and has made a significant difference to this dangerous section which made headlines every holiday break with fatalities.

In the five years to 2016, there were 54 crashes recorded on the section of the Pacific Highway from north of the intersection with Hastings River Drive to Telegraph Point.

Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams said the completion of the $15 billion highway upgrade was an incredible milestone and would save lives.

"Having dual carriageway from Hexham to the Queensland border is a vast improvement on the old Pacific Highway enhancing safety and reducing travel times," she said.

"With work yet to commence on the bypass of Coffs Harbour, the upgraded highway has already seen a 75 per cent drop in fatalities."

Oxley MP Melinda Pavey paid tribute to the late Kevin Waller, who as the NSW Coroner, recommended the highway be upgraded to dual carriageway between Hexham and Queensland.

She said the duplication completion made the highway safer and more efficient, and brought benefits to towns with increased property prices and more opportunities.

"I'm just so happy we have a [duplicated] road that services our communities, the trucks and the tourist trade," Mrs Pavey said.

Cowper MP Pat Conaghan said the duplicated highway was so good for communities.

"In years gone by, we've had countless accidents and fatalities, so it first and foremost is delivering safety," he said.

In another development, the first sod has been turned for the 14 kilometre Coffs Harbour bypass.

The bypass, when complete, will remove about 12,000 vehicles a day from the Coffs Harbour CBD and save motorists about 11 minutes in travel time.

The Coffs Harbour bypass was given the official green light by the federal government after the Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley assessed and then approved the project under the EPBC Act, moving the town's biggest ever infrastructure project a step closer to construction.

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