Three weeks ago I drove up from Victoria and you certainly know it when you drive into the Shoalhaven.

Try driving on Prince Edward Avenue, Culburra Beach between Whistler Street and Park Row. It should have a name change to Patches Road as it has been patched up for the past 12 years but according to council is OK.

The businesses in Nowra that perform wheel alignments love it.

I would like to add comment to your recent excellent editorial on this matter, having digested the information available and having had discussions with RMS representatives at the public sessions. 

I now note the following matters which were contained in my submission to RMS.

Please keep up the good work RMS because we need the new bridge now before it falls down or a rogue truck knocks it down. 

We have waited four years since any signs of previous action and we hope that now something will actually happen.

I am concerned about the unresolved traffic hold-ups beyond the bridge that can cancel out the extra lane and new intersections improvements.

I hope that the traffic planners will respond to concerns raised during the exhibition process – like why add a problematic extra intersection to the south and also why not deal more deliberately with Bolong Road blockages? And what happens to Scenic Drive?

The big question is how does RMS propose to keep the Illaroo Road intersection open during the whole construction period, while digging out the hill and destroying houses, moving power lines, services etc. for a temporary detour - and also how do they propose to limit construction access across Illaroo Road for the new bridge? (I understand most of it can be done from the south.)  

North Nowra residents should be concerned about continuous (and emergency) access during construction. 

The mooted Collector Road at the top of Illaroo is no solution. 

It appears it would be quicker, more convenient, more accessible, probably equally costly, but less disruptive to relocate the new bridge to East rather than the West. This leaves North Nowra access intact, simplifies traffic and preserves beautiful parkland and mature trees (and the flood boat/cafe) to the south

This option was tested by RMS in their extensive 2014 Development Report Option B – west was preferred.  Now their Option D – east, downstream, looks better to me.

However, the need to keep Illaroo open at all times was not factored in.

I cannot agree with the assumption of historical expansion – it will be greater. There are new and extensive subdivisions planned to the north. Employment and housing will expand to the south. 

This is a naval and air-arm defence town and it is of strategic importance to Canberra.

Recently,  Ann Sudmalis staged a bit of a publicity grabber asking people to help her build the bridge. 

I don’t know what other platforms on social media said, but I do know that her Facebook page exploded with people clamouring to have their say. And what did they say, almost to a man/woman/whatever? Build the bloody bypass first. It was more than overwhelming.

Is she and other pollies listening? I think not. Instead, we have one preferred option on display. Who prefers this option, we don’t know. Love to see the others, after all, we are paying for it. Me? I would love a bypass. Nobody is able to convince me how it has been determined that 75 per cent is local traffic. They just don’t know.