Pressure on the NSW government to fund Dapto roads is increasing as development booms, Shellharbour MP Anna Watson told Parliament this week.
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Her comments came on the back of the NSW Planning Assessment Commission's approval of plans for a $250 million development at Tallawarra, which will add more than 1000 houses between Koonawarra and Haywards Bay.
Ms Watson said this, combined with developments at West Dapto, Flinders and possibly Calderwood, meant Dapto could become a "mini-city" to rival the entire Shellharbour LGA in the next two decades, placing more pressure on existing road networks.
"We cannot muddle through with an old thoroughfare through the Dapto central business district any more," she said.
"The bottlenecks through Dapto and West Dapto are like big car parks."
Ms Watson called on the state government to commit "substantial" funding to improve access to West Dapto and allocate part of its $100 million Illawarra Infrastructure Fund to build new on-off ramps at Kanahooka, Fowlers and Emerson roads.
However, Minister for the Illawarra Greg Pearce has said roads will not be one of the fund's top priorities.
"It's not for building kerb and guttering or building a particular piece of road that's a state road," he told the Mercury this week.
Kiama MP Gareth Ward and Heathcote MP Lee Evans agreed, saying roads should already be scheduled under other budgets and not be reliant on a $100 million infrastructure boost.
"We could change the whole look of the Illawarra with this injection of money - I don't want it to be spent on park benches, roads and guttering that yes, everyone needs but isn't going to generate jobs and change people's lives," Mr Evans said.
Mr Ward said some Dapto roads and bridges could be eligible for the fund, but added that local roads should be funded by local government.
"The problem with roads is that they don't necessarily generate long-term job prospects," he said.
"But I don't have a problem with examining the prospect of spending money on infrastructure that will unlock potential growth in the West Dapto area - because this will result in construction industry jobs."
Dapto Chamber of Commerce president Ian Fitzgibbon said his suburb was the "growth centre of the Illawarra" and urged all levels of government to step up and fund its roads.
Mr Fitzgibbon, who is also the co-convener of Dapto's Neighbourhood Forum, said growth in Dapto was positive but said careful planning was needed to ensure it benefited all residents.
"I think some of that $100 million from the sale of the port should be channelled into our planning and infrastructure needs," he said.
"But I'm also of the firm belief that the state and federal governments need to contribute and not leave the local community and the local government trying to fund it, because it's beyond our capabilities."
