Shellharbour MP Anna Watson has hit out over the possibility of Dapto residents being shut out of the Albion Park Rail Bypass.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On Wednesday, the Mercury broke the news that there were two options under consideration for the northern end of the bypass.
The cheaper option does not include an on-ramp for traffic coming from Dapto, which would instead have to continue using the Princes Highway.
A Roads and Maritime Services spokesman said funding had not yet been allocated for the full interchange and added traffic studies showed it was not yet needed.
This news did not impress Ms Watson.
“Reports that Dapto locals will be cut off from the Albion Park Rail Bypass is the latest revelation in a long litany of failures by a government that simply can't be trusted to deliver this project,” Ms Watson said.
“It's high time the NSW government came clean with the local community, and fessed up whether they have a secret plan to exclude Dapto residents from the benefits of this new road.”
The residents and readers were not impressed either, judging by the comments they left on the Mercury’s Facebook page.
“Short-sighted stupidity if there is no access from Dapto,” wrote Eamonn Murray.
Joanne White Breen agreed, believing it made no sense to cut Dapto off from the bypass.
“And where is the biggest growth area in Wollongong? Why would you not give that area access to the new bypass?”
Other people were unhappy that it's always been hard to get onto the M1 Princes Motorway if you were heading southbound due to a lack of on-ramps.
“Can we at least get a southbound on-ramp and northbound off-ramp for the freeway at Kanahooka or Fowlers Road?” asked Nicole Harding.
Daniel Bailey suggested that southbound on-ramps at Fowlers Rd and Kanahooka Rd would alleviate traffic issues, as well as helping provide Dapto residents with access to the Albion Park Rail Bypass.
Tony Stone was one of the readers that reckoned there was no way the government would forget about access from Dapto to the bypass.
“I'll believe it when i see it. Even the RMS aren't that silly,” he wrote.
Jaye Rodger also felt the government would find the money to make sure the complete interchange at Yallah was built.
“Of course they'll include the interchange - 10000 houses going up west of the highway means they'll include it,” he wrote.
“Although forward thinking hasn't been a strong point of state governments the last few decades.”