The announcement the contract for the $342 million Nowra Bridge project has been awarded is certainly a step in the right direction.
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Fulton Hogan Construction, a company responsible for numerous other local infrastructure projects, such as the Gerringong stage of the Princes Highway upgrade, the Berry bypass and the Albion Park Rail bypass, will design and build the third crossing of the Shoalhaven River.
While we should all be rejoicing at this news, and many locals are, again there is a chorus of calls for a Nowra bypass.
We actually had a bet in the office on Wednesday when the announcement was released as to how soon after we put the news on social media there would be calls for the bypass - and it sure didn't take long.
Whenever we do a story on the new crossing of the Shoalhaven River there always is.
In a perfect world we'd love to see a bypass as well. If it would reduce the now common traffic snarls in and around the Nowra/Bomaderry area would remain to be seen.
Figures show that around 50,000 vehicles cross the Shoalhaven River each day and of that 80 to 85 per cent is traffic from Bomaderry and Nowra - local traffic.
Kiama MP Gareth Ward has openly admitted a Nowra bypass is needed. And in that perfect world I'm sure Mr Ward and South Coast MP Shelley Hancock would like to have both.
But the reality is the lifespan of the historic current south-bound almost 140-year-old iron bridge is coming to an end. If it isn't replaced soon, all traffic on the Princes Highway at Nowra, travelling north or south, would be reduced to just three lanes.
Think things are bad now - imagine that!
Yes, Nowra will need a bypass. Is it needed sooner rather than later to ease highway congestion? Yes.
But in all honesty the Nowra bypass is still just a line on a map. There has been no proper studies done of the proposed route and definitely no costings - we have been told conservatively you would be looking at billions, yes billions, not millions, billions.
And who is going to pay for it? Our taxes.
Having witnessed the fight for promised much-needed, lifesaving upgrades of the Princes Highway south of Nowra, a Nowra bypass will be one huge battle. In the meantime, let's get on with the new Nowra bridge, which will hopefully be completed by mid-2024.