Wollongong City Council will target traffic congestion in Dapto’s increasingly busy main streets with a new road link.
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Plans to extend Baan Baan Street between Station and Osborne Streets are now on exhibition.
A new road, along with two new roundabouts, will provide an extra link to Dapto Station alongside the car park of Dapto Leagues Club, and is part of the overall push to improve the suburb’s roads as the population of West Dapto expands.
The Baan Baan Street plan includes a number of new trees, as well as footpaths, a parking lane, street lighting and paving.
The council said these works would promote walking within the town centre and encourage the use of public transport.
The road plans comes at the same time as a proposal to overhaul the southern town’s central streets by encouraging the revitalisation of public squares and laneways.
In a new draft plan released for the town, the council has highlighted a number of short and long term measures it hopes to roll out over the next 10 years as West Dapto continues to expand.
“This work [on Baan Baan Street] is also consistent with future planning for the town centre which focusses on reducing traffic congestion and improving pedestrian and cycle access within the town centre,” the council said.
At present, the council says Dapto’s “main roads are noisy and footpath areas are in poor condition, negatively affecting the look and feel of the centre”.
Pedestrian barriers dissect the street and there is 186 metres between pedestrian crossings.
The draft plan says serious traffic congestion issues are likely to arise if the town is left to grow without intervention, and notes public transport is “inconvenient” and cycleways bypass the CBD.
Construction of the new road is expected to start in the middle of this year, the council said.
Construction will take place from 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 7am to 2pm on Saturdays, and will take about 16 weeks, subject to weather conditions.
The council will run a community engagement kiosk on March 18 at Dapto Mall near the post office from 9am-1pm.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
