Ask anyone who uses Illaroo Road. Even without the vast new developments proposed for North Nowra and Bangalee, the road is struggling to cope with the existing traffic. Add hundreds of new homes and it’s only going to get worse.
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It’s not just the congestion that gums up Illaroo Road and the highway. Another issue is the poor state of Illaroo Road west of West Cambewarra Road. It is narrow and poorly drained. It only has to rain moderately for water to pool over the road, making it perilous for motorists. Its shoulders are in a poor state, with trees close to the road way. Even in good weather it is not particularly safe.
Adding significant traffic movements before the road is improved is probably not a good idea.
Development is an inevitable part of our future and is vital for our economic growth. However, it is important it comes with the necessary infrastructure improvements. Addressing problems before they arise makes much more sense than trying to fix them after the event – as the long running saga of the North Nowra link road has shown us.
It should therefore come as no surprise Shoalhaven City Council’s strategic planner has said future large scale development in and around North Nowra will have to wait until the traffic issues are sorted out – not just Illaroo Road but also the new bridge over the Shoalhaven River and presumably a new and vastly improved intersection to its north. No surprise either that it will be at least a decade and a half before we are likely to see houses go up in the area between Bangalee and North Nowra, where the 400-lot subdivision is flagged.
Cost will put the brakes on. We are yet to see a solid commitment from the federal government to stump up the funds needed to make the new bridge a reality. And we know Shoalhaven City Council will struggle to pay for the level of road improvement required to accommodate the additional traffic movements associated with 400 new dwellings.
It would not be unreasonable therefore to insist the people profiting from any big new subdivision, the developers, contribute to the cost of improving surrounding infrastructure.
We accept Nowra needs to grow. But we insist we do not make the same mistakes we have made in the past. Big subdivisions without the necessary infrastructure – roads, shops, medical services – do not build strong communities.