Gerringong will retain two major access points to the Princes Hwy, the route of a billion-dollar upgrade reveals.The Road Traffic Authority says the infamous section of the highway between Broughton Village and Foxground will be avoided by a cutting 900m long and up to 30m deep. An option that included 350m-long twin tunnels in the Foxground area "offered marginally more benefits" but was estimated to cost an additional $75-$90 million.
See the full plans for the proposed upgrade [pdf]Kiama MP Matt Brown said the chosen Gerringong access options were "much more expensive than some of the proposals put forward" and came in response to strong opposition to other options proposed. "Gerringong is a long, stretched-out town with a number of businesses relying on flows of traffic," he said. "I'm really pleased the RTA has listened to the community."A total of 972 submissions regarding access points were received, 590 on Gerringong and 382 on Berry. Berry has only one access point for north-bound traffic, via the new Huntingdale Park residential subdivision at the south of the town. There are two access points at Berry for southbound traffic, the second linking to Alexandra St in the centre of the town. Yesterday's announcement came more than three years after the planning process to upgrade 32km of highway began and almost half a century after a route for the Berry bypass was first set aside.Mr Brown conceded it may still be a "a number of years" before cars were spotted on new sections of the road.He defended the length of time the process was taking, and said he was "proud to involve the community in developing the best possible options"."You don't just build a house when you want one - there are a lot of processes to go through," he said.The stage between Toolijooa and the south of Berry will be assessed as a major project under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act."People will still have the chance to comment through that process," Mr Brown said.Environmental assessment for the work between Mt Pleasant and Toolijooa Rd is expected to be displayed for community comment in the first half of 2010, but this would not necessarily be the first stage to be upgraded. illawarramercury.com.au
