The NSW Government has made it official that a flyover will be built at the intersection of Jervis Bay Road and the Princes Highway.
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On Tuesday, November 24 South Coast MP Shelley Hancock and Kiama MP Gareth Ward announced a flyover was the preferred option for the intersection.
It is anticipated the intersection will cost around $100 million, with construction likely to start in 2022.
The new intersection will include four lanes for highway traffic, the highway traffic will travel on a bridge over Jervis Bay Road allowing vehicles on Jervis Bay Road to travel north on the highway without being held up by southbound highway traffic.
There will also be roundabouts on either side of the intersection.
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Since 2018 Shoalhaven City Council and Vincentia Matters have been campaigning for a flyover at the dangerous Jervis Bay Road intersection.
Vincentia Matters collected 14,000 signatures in support of a flyover and were presented in NSW Parliament in September.
When Transport for NSW conducted community consultation in March 2020, the community overwhelmingly supported a flyover. Of the responses 484 expressed support for a flyover, 18 supported a roundabout and 12 supported traffic signals. There was only 5 comments in opposition to a flyover.
Member for South Coast Shelley Hancock said the decision for a flyover was made after listening to both expert advice and community feedback.
"This intersection experiences some of the highest vehicle movements along the Princes Highway south of Nowra, so the safety of all road users is paramount," Mrs Hancock said.
"Having assessed all options, this is the safest and most reliable option and will deliver the best results for congestion and connectivity."
Member for Kiama Gareth Ward said the stretch of road has been in need of an urgent upgrade given its history of tragic accidents.
"Earlier this year the community told us their top two priorities for this intersection - safety and connectivity," Mr Ward said.
"We've fought hard and once again we've delivered. Now we'll work with Transport for NSW to finalise a plan for grade separation that provides a better and safer outcome for our community."
The intersection has a history of crashes with 15 crashes recorded in the five year period up to December 31, 2018. The crashes resulted in zero fatalities, six serious and 11 minor injuries.
Community feedback on the preferred option is open until December 20.
Feedback will be used to help refine the design and prepare an environmental assessment.