Doubling the capacity of Picton Road and adding an extra lane to the M1 Princes Motorway are on the Illawarra Business Chamber’s wishlist.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In a submission to the NSW Draft Freight and Ports Plan, the chamber said improved transport links are vital if Port Kembla port is to continue to grow.
“The continuation of Illawarra’s economic transition and expansion is dependent on maximising the value of strategic assets like Port Kembla," the submission stated.
It suggested “inadequate transport linkages” were limiting the benefit the port and the region can deliver to the state economy.
“The road network within the Illawarra region is showing signs of overload and is over-reliant on a limited number of main roads and a single rail line,” the submission stated.
One of the recommendations was to duplicate Picton Road, which is the preferred route to Sydney for road freight.
READ MORE: Millions to be spent on Picton Road
While it was 30km longer than travelling along the F6, the trip took only an extra six minutes.
The chamber’s submission acknowledged the substantial upgrades already completed on Picton Road but more was needed for a route where 25 per cent of traffic was heavy vehicles.
“Priority should be given to full duplication of Picton Road between the Hume Highway and Princes Motorway, rather than just improvements, to match the projected growth and usage of the road as the predominant east-west link to and from Wollongong and environs for the foreseeable future,” it stated.
READ MORE: Picton Road needs an upgrade, says peak body
There was also a push for an extra southbound lane on the motorway at Mt Pleasant.
As this section provides a link with Sydney for both north-south and east-west heavy vehicles the chamber requested investigations for this should be carried out at the same time as work on the Mt Ousley interchange.
“These works should be completed before Mt Ousley reaches its estimated capacity in the mid-2020s,” the submission stated.