Cr Bradbery also said the long-awaited Fowlers Road access bridge – seen by many as the key piece of infrastructure to connect the suburb to the M1 freeway – would cost at least double what the council originally thought.

‘‘We’ve tallied up that, all up, the access strategy would come to at least half a billion,’’ he said, speaking after the Mercury revealed roads for a future stage of West Dapto would cost more than $200 million.

‘‘And Fowlers Road bridge alone will be about $90 million.’’

The council  had estimated the cost of connecting West Dapto to Fowlers Road at about $45 million, and was given just $22.5 million from the NSW government’s Restart Illawarra fund.

However, Cr Bradbery said that ‘‘extra scope’’ had been discovered during the design of the bridge and access road, mostly arising from the complications of building in a flood-prone area. 

‘‘We have done the initially design work now, and looking at that you’ve got to not only go up on a rail line but also come down on a flood plain and that’s got to be built up embankments,’’ Cr Bradbery said.

‘‘The area we’re working in is criss-crossed by creeks and waterways .. and we also need to liaise with several government agencies to co-ordinate the rail, roads and environment and heritage issues.’’

He said the cost of building the bridge would eclipse the council’s entire 2014-15 capital works program, which was about $85 million.

‘‘We have a challenge, because we have to maintain a whole city at the same time as taking this project on board and, if we don’t manage it properly, it will soak up too many resources,’’ he said.

‘‘But I believe Fowlers Road is a vital piece of infrastructure for all of West Dapto, because we need several access routes because the area is vulnerable to flooding.’’

Cr Bradbery  said he would be ‘‘banging on doors’’ to get more state or federal government funding.

‘‘The importance of what’s known as the Lake Illawarra West land release, is of state significance and ultimately we won’t be able to afford it, so we’ll have to get money from state resources,’’ he said.

With such huge costs already facing the council at West Dapto, Cr Bradbery said he would be voting at Monday night’s meeting to put the future Yallah and Marshall Mount development on hold. 

‘‘We’ve done the work, but I just don’t see any way it can progress to the next stage,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s not over, but it’s going to be delayed. The northern end – near Wongawilli and Horsley – is where our energy is focused, and we just can’t afford to open up the other stages.’’