South Coast residents are continuing to face gridlocked traffic on the Princes Highway through Nowra, but planning for a bypass is unlikely until the new Nowra bridge project is complete, according to South Coast MP Shelley Hancock.
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Mrs Hancock said that at this stage, "preliminary discussions" are being had about a Nowra bypass, but that "none of that's hit the ground yet".
"The Nowra bypass is another project into the future, it will take a long, long time to actually plan for the bypass," said Mrs Hancock.
"But we're all on board for progressing something like that."
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Mrs Hancock said the local traffic congestion will, for the most part, be solved by the $342 million Nowra bridge project.
Transport for NSW said around 55,000 cars cross the Shoalhaven River per day and of that 80 per cent of the traffic is local.
"80 per cent of the traffic that crosses the bridge is to go into Nowra, it certainly lessens when you get further south towards Jervis Bay or further north towards Berry," said Mrs Hancock.
"This (Nowra bridge project) is about local traffic congestion and solving those problems. A bypass won't fix them.
"The Milton Ulladulla bypass, we have to really resolve that first, and then we get up to a Nowra bypass into the future and this (Nowra bridge project) is all finished.
The new Nowra bridge project has launched past the halfway mark and is expected to be complete by 2024.
The two petitions launched from two local members on different sides of politics earlier in the month have garnered strong community support.
Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips launched her Nowra Bypass Now petition, and Kiama MP Gareth Ward launched his Back the Bypass campaign.
"We have signatures coming in all the time," said Ms Phillips. "The main thing is trying to get the state government to make it a priority for pre-planning. That's the first hurdle."
"It's (the campaign) been very, very well supported," said Mr Ward. "This is a project that needs a start."
"I'm not expecting this project to be delivered tomorrow.
"But I'll be continuing to take up these petitions and I'll be using them in parliament next year to lobby hard for this project."
Shoalhaven City Council candidate Paul Ell backed Mr Ward's campaign and pledged to raise the bypass in a Notice of Motion at the first council meeting if elected.
While there have been no official declarations, Mr Ell is looking likely to be elected into council with 292 votes under his belt.
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