A long-awaited Bulli bypass could be a step closer under a Labor government, with a $20 million promise to investigate an extension of Memorial Drive.
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There is a large section of reserved corridor for a road between the end of Memorial Drive linking to Bulli Pass.
The bypass has been considered over the years, including an option of a tunnel running up to the hairpin on Bulli Pass, among five other options.
The most likely connection for any bypass would be further down the pass, near the Lawrence Hargrave Drive intersection.
Announcing the funding promise on Thursday were Labor Roads spokesman John Graham, Heathcote candidate Maryanne Stuart and Keira MP Ryan Park.
"This is a challenging process," Mr Graham said. "Hopefully the project will go ahead but this is a feasibility study - the first serious step to making this project happen."
The $20 million will be used for detailed planning and investigation work, which Mr Park said was more complex than earlier efforts from the then Roads and Maritime Services in 2013, funded with $500,000.
"Certainly there are some in RMS that previously said it would be very, very difficult but they've only essentially done a desktop analysis," Mr Park said.
"I wanted to do not just the desktop analysis and a couple of thousand dollars. I wanted really detailed work done to determine the feasibility of the project in total.
"The route and the alignment and also the geotechnical work to determine how we're going to do this. We all know this is on the edge of an escarpment. It's difficult terrain in terms of road infrastructure."
He said investigating the bypass could offer a solution to the increasing traffic congestion through Bulli.
"We know in the northern suburbs of the Illawarra there are significant problems when it comes to traffic congestion," he said.
"Both Lawrence Hargrave Drive and Princes Highway have been for some time now at capacity in certain times of the day.
"It [the bypass] is the missing piece but we have to get it right. We have to determine whether it's feasible or not using the existing road corridor.
"We've got to do this first important stage right upfront to determine whether or not it is possible and also what the route is and what that alignment would look like."
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Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
