It is unreasonable, however, to expect the RMS to properly evaluate what is an essentially a bare bones basic concept plan in a matter of weeks - a plan, it must be noted, presented without the landholder whose property it would traverse being notified. 

To ascertain the true cost and viability of any major plan involves complex and time-consuming examination. Soil and bedrock structures need to be looked at, for a start. Then there is the engineering component: can it be made to work? 

Expecting an answer in matter of weeks - the RMS was only presented with the concept in December - is unrealistic.

And expecting a flyover to solve Nowra's traffic woes in one fell swoop is the stuff of fantasy. Sure, it might ease the Illaroo Road-Princes Highway bottleneck on the northern side of the bridge but that traffic will simply come to a halt a little further down the highway as it hits traffic lights - one set of which was installed at the request of council.

What will help traffic flow through Nowra is the construction of the East Nowra Sub Arterial (ENSA), which will take vehicles bound for Worrigee, Callala, Culburra Beach, Greenwell Point and parts of South Nowra off the highway.

It will also relieve the daily afternoon bottleneck approaching Kalander Street. That pinch point has been made worse by council's decision to dedicate one lane of Kalander Street to a right-turn lane to access the Dan Murphy's liquor outlet.

Getting ENSA done is what council and the business chamber really should be focusing on. And, as South Coast MP Shelley Hancock says, it should be getting on with the Northern Collector Road, funds for which have been allocated.

It is important we get our road planning right and not repeat mistakes of the past. Adding $30 or $40 million to an intersection in one place means money won't be spent elsewhere, such as at the Jervis Bay Road intersection.

It's a question of priorities - and safety should come first.