Not the government, not the council - not even motorists.

The stretch of the Princes Highway that runs between Yallah and Oak Flats has long been a bugbear for motorists.

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It would clog up with cars every holiday period - but was also a hassle to get through on a weekday.

With the completion of the Albion Park Rail bypass, many motorists can avoid that stretch altogether.

The opening of the bypass has also seen the state government keen to wash their hands of that stretch of highway.

Transport for NSW is responsible for maintaining the Princes Highway from Yallah to the Victorian border, but it now wants to handball the cost of the road to Shellharbour council.

The council don't want that section of the highway either, insisting it - and a section of Tongarra Road - should remain in state hands.

"It is recommended that the current classifications be retained and no further consideration be given to the status of these roads until the Dapto/Yallah Interchange is constructed," stated council papers.

"It is considered that until such time as the Dapto/Yallah Interchange is constructed, both the Princes Highway and Tongarra Road function as state roads with high traffic volumes from traffic commuting south from Dapto, West Dapto and Haywards Bay growth areas."

Without the interchange, Dapto area motorists have no southbound access to the bypass, with Transport for NSW's design forcing them to continue to use the highway.

Shellharbour council is also considering handing over the kerbside lanes of Lake Entrance Road and Shellharbour Road to the government.

This was due to the increase in traffic during peak periods "that contributes to the wearing of the road surface over time", the council report stated.

At present, the responsibility for the kerbside lanes sits with council, while the state government is in charge of the central lanes.

"Through the proposed change in the reclassification review this would ensure the full width of these roads is consistently managed by the NSW state government," a Shellharbour Council spokeswoman said.

The state government introduced the road classification review in 2019, when it took back control of 15,000 kilometres of council-owned roads across the state.

There are three categories of roads - local, regional and state roads.

The first and second are owned by council; the first is solely the fiscal responsibility of council while the second attracts some state funding.

A state road is maintained by the government.

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