A deadline set by Shellharbour MP Anna Watson for the start of planning planning work on Dapto ramps to the Princes Motorway has come and gone.
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Shortly after being appointed to a pair of parliamentary secretary roles - for roads and regional roads and transport - in April, Ms Watson said planning work for the Dapto ramps would begin at the start of July.
"Come July 1, as parliamentary secretary for roads and for regional roads and transport, I'll be ensuring that planning starts," Ms Watson said.
In a response to questions from the Mercury, a Transport for NSW spokesperson suggested that planning work was yet to get under way.
"Planning work is set to commence during FY23/24 for additional entry and exit ramps for residents of Dapto connecting motorists to the M1 Princes Motorway," the spokesperson said.
"The detailed planning work will confirm the preferred location of additional ramps and determine the impacts to the local road and motorway network."
In response to questions about that July 1 deadline, Ms Watson noted that the 2023-24 financial year started this weekend.
"I have been advocating for this work since 2017," Ms Watson said.
"NSW has been left in the worst financial position in our history.
"Despite the recklessness of the former government, Labor will honour every single commitment."
The Transport for NSW spokesperson said the planning work aimed to identify any required supporting road infrastructure, such as additional lanes on the M1 Princes Motorway, new intersections to support the ramps and local road upgrades to enable the changes in traffic flow through Dapto.
The planning stage would also look at the Yallah interchange, which would give Dapto residents travelling south access the Albion Park Rail bypass.
"A key next step will be to update our existing strategic model build a detailed simulation model to test and compare the different options," the spokeswoman said.
"Once a preferred option has been confirmed the project will progress through to a strategic business case where the design, property and environmental impacts, costs and benefits will be explored in detail.
"Details on timing of design and construction will be determined through the strategic business case process and is not yet known."
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