ENSAR is planned to take traffic off the Princes Highway behind Stockland Nowra and on to Greenwell Point Road.

The aim is to alleviate congestion around the Kalandar Street intersection and also provide an easier access for traffic travelling to the eastern villages.

Planning work continues on the replacement of the southbound Shoalhaven River bridge with it acknowledged ENSAR will also play a major role in alleviating some of the congestion in and around Nowra.

A Shoalhaven City Council spokeperson said while there is currently no activity at the site itself, "preliminary geotechnical and environmental investigation work was in progress".

"Construction works are currently planned for 2021 to 2025, with completion of ENSAR in 2025."

The news comes the same week as the NSW Government's announces a $500 million Fixing Local Roads program, with local MPS Shelley Hancock and Gareth Ward both encouraging Shoalhaven City Council to apply for funding to repair, maintain or seal local roads.

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"I'm encouraging Shoalhaven City Council to nominate shovel ready projects they'd like to get off the ground," Mrs Hancock said.

"The first round of Fixing Local Roads is now open and will help councils with projects that are shovel-ready to get started, ensuring local communities are benefiting sooner."

Mid last year Mr Ward also urged council to get on with the project, saying $24 million in state funding through the Regional Growth Fund was available which could be applied for to be used for the road's construction, while in August last year it was revealed ENSAR had moved up council's priority list.

Running across the Shoalhaven River floodplain will pose significant engineering issues for the proposed road, with council's own Nowra Key Road Projects documents saying the estimated costs of between $15-$25 million depending on flood level requirements.

Organising pre-loading [fill for the road to be built up to be above required flood levels] will be a huge job on its own and its's understood would take 12-month construction and settlement period followed by an 18-month road construction period.

ENSAR would alleviate congestion around the Kalandar Street intersection, with the build up of congestion of southbound traffic often flowing back along the highway, impacting on other intersections as well.

ENSAR could eventually connect up with Old Southern Road and be continued to join Warra Warra Road and rejoin the highway at the major roundabout at that intersection.

Applications under round 1 of the Fixing Local Roads program close on December 2, with successful projects announced in early 2020.