Planning for the project began in early 2023 and the Nowra bypass project webpage advised plans could take up to three years, including traffic modelling, environmental investigations and ways to determine how to support Nowra's community.

Shadow Minister for Transport and Roads Nat Ward and Former NSW Liberal minister Andrew Constance said the project is not moving quick enough and ratepayers should demand faster action.

"When I asked the New South Wales minister for regional roads about it, she wasn't aware of the timing, she wasn't aware of the funding, she couldn't tell us who was delivering it, and I asked about four main major projects that the government committed to before the election, but they don't seem to have any clue on this when it comes to the details," Ms Ward said.

"It was an election commitment to deliver the project, they didn't say we'll look at the project, they didn't say we'd plan for the project, they didn't say they would do preliminary work, they said we will deliver this road.

"They say talk is cheap but in this case it's pretty expensive, all we're hearing is talk."

Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips said she secured $97 million in federal funding under the Labor government for the Nowra bypass, which she said was promised to begin planning and progress forward to be delivered as a priority.

"If it was up to the Liberals' there'd be no Nowra Bypass at all, the Liberal Candidate for Gilmore never ever matched the $97 million in federal Nowra Bypass funding," Mrs Fiona Phillips said.

"He [Andrew Constance] had over 10 years in the State Government and never ever did his Liberal government get the Nowra Bypass going in that role either."

With the bypass in early planning stages, Mrs Fiona Phillips said it must be future proofed, making it essential to plan for correctly, which the funding she secured would ensure.

"The Liberals' lack of planning is what has led to the mess in infrastructure - projects over time, over budget or simply undeliverable," she said.

"As a local, and one solely committed to people in Gilmore, I will never mislead the community about what it will take for the Nowra Bypass to be delivered. I've been upfront from the beginning and am disappointed the Liberals' would rather once again create fear and anxiety rather than working constructively to deliver a project they ignored for a decade."

Mr Constance, who is the pre-selected liberal candidate expected to run for the federal seat of Gilmore in the next election said the Nowra bypass would be a critical piece of infrastructure for the region.

With growing areas on the south coast, including with the defence sector at Albatross, subdivision growth in South Nowra and improvements made in the Bay and Basin area, the region needed better roads and quality thoroughfare.

"Talk on the Nowra bypass reached an agreement at the last election two years ago, to get on and build it and with labor winning state and federal elections, they matched that commitment, but what we're now seeing, particularly with a project that's so key for the region is internal processes tied in knots," Mr Constance said.

"We don't need people and place reviews to work out how to build bike paths alongside this road, we need the road.

"If you look at what we delivered 10 years ago from now, the Albion Park, Gerringong and Berry bypasses, the Batemans Bay Bridge, There is no reason that this project should not be underway by now.

"Labor have now had two years of talk, this project by right should be zero to five years completion and you know, they've just done more reviews, wasted taxpayer dollars and we need the jobs.

"I just think there's no more time for excuses and a five year planning process is most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life."