![A recommendation from a 1997 Wollongong City Council report called for more motorway on and off ramps at Dapto. A recommendation from a 1997 Wollongong City Council report called for more motorway on and off ramps at Dapto.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/4FavSveeQdYEHssZq5umRQ/17fd5ed0-92fd-472c-b3bc-0b6389b1f30a.jpg/r0_0_2400_1349_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It was known extra motorway ramps at Dapto were needed more than 25 years ago.
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The report also noted the need for extra lanes on the motorway.
In 1997, Wollongong City Council carried out a study of the proposed future expansion of West Dapto and whether changes were needed when it came to the motorway (then known as the F6).
It found that on and off ramps were required, recommending those be built at Kanahooka Road rather than the previously preferred Fowlers Road option. Instead the existing the Fowlers Road ramps should be upgraded.
"Preliminary consideration of means of providing increased access to West Dapto from the F6 has previously identified a possible need for south-facing ramps at Fowlers Road," the council report stated.
"However it has also been recognised that provision of these ramps could require acquisition of approximately 30 dwellings and involve significant community disruption."
It found that extra ramps at Fowlers Road or Emerson Road would funnel traffic to those areas, which would not be handled by the local roads.
Wollongong City Council now believes Emerson Road is the best option for on ramps.
The report also noted that the motorway would need widening to six lanes - an issue that is still being researched today.
Those upgrades would not only benefit West Dapto, the report claimed, but also be helpful for communities further south.
"The identified infrastructure improvements are not solely required as a result of West Dapto urban expansion," the report stated.
"Provision of improved access to the F6 at Dapto has previously been identified as an issue for the existing development. Widening of the F6 to six lanes will also be required as a result of urban growth in Shellharbour."
However, the report drew a line through the suggestion the motorway should be any wider than six lanes.
"The desirable future for Wollongong and the F6 must also be questioned," the report stated.
"For sustainable community and environmental reasons should there ever be an eight-lane or 10-lane freeway through Wollongong? Planning for the F6 at this stage should accept that widening will not exceed six lanes.
"This means that future traffic demands through Wollongong and Shellharbour must be managed to ensure an appropriate transfer to other forms of non-car based transport."