MINUTES after she left a roundtable meeting, State Member for the South Coast, Shelley Hancock, gave us something we all want to hear - she has what hopefully will be the starting date for the Milton/Ulladulla bypass.
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Mrs Hancock said she can't see any reason why the bypass can't start within 12 to 18 months.
"I am always the optimist and have been pushing for this project for years," she said.
She wants the construction to start in 2021.
"We will be going in all guns blazing with the RMS to achieve this," she said.
The roundtable meeting, where she was joined by NSW Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew James Constance and RMS representatives, follows yesterday's (Wednesday's) announcement from the Federal Government that it had allocated $145 million for upgrading the Princes Highway which includes the Milton-Ulladulla bypass.
Mrs Hancock said the $145 million announcement means they can move the process forward.
"It (the announcement) is good news and thanks goes to the Federal government," Mrs Hancock said.
"This is a great example of Federal and State governments collaborating to deliver concrete outcomes for the South Coast."
She also made a point of thanking her colleague, Mr Constance, several times, for his continued support.
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The bypass is a project Mrs Hancock has been pushing for since her days with Shoalhaven City Council.
"This is a huge win for the people of the South Coast," she said.
"The upgrade will create a safer highway for all users while also boosting jobs and the local economy.
"The upgrade will also significantly reduce travel time, particularly in holiday periods, by removing the need for vehicles to pass through 20 separate intersections."
Mrs Hancock said a gazetted route option that was identified in the 1990's remains the preferred route.
"A lot of work was done at the time on the route," she said.
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Some refinement might be needed but she still feels the gazetted route option, which comes out at Canberra Crescent is still the one to follow.
The public, no doubt, will get the chance to make public submissions on the proposal.
Mrs Hancock added the State Government, by buying properties along the route, had already started planning for this important piece of infrastructure.
