Transport NSW release Moruya bypass consultation summary and plan for next steps

Transport NSW received more than 1300 submissions from 687 community members during two rounds of consultation.

The report released on October 28 said the purple corridor was the favoured option by the public for four main reasons; design, environment, social-economic and other project considerations such as project cost.

The report said the bypass would "unlock opportunities to improve Moruya town centre for the benefit of locals, visitors and businesses and complement the appealing, tourist-friendly experience of the town".

The report listed five key benefits of the planned bypass:

However, the report also reported traffic data showed 75 per cent of vehicles travelling on the Princes Highway would not use the bypass because they stop in Moruya. During holiday periods, the data showed 60 per cent of vehicles stop in the town.

In June, members of the Moruya Bypass Action Group told the Bay Post they were concerned any bypass was "not for locals".

"This is for trucks, and it's for maybe two weeks at Christmas and one week at Easter," group member Deb Stevenson said.

The action group also raised concerns about the environmental impact of the project.

The latest report said Transport NSW would complete an environmental assessment to be displayed during the next public exhibition of the project.

Transport NSW will now complete a detailed strategic plan for all three corridor routes, refining existing plans to address the concerns raised by the community.

"Further design work will need to occur on all three corridors and will include additional information about the design features, potential benefits and impacts, and proposed changes to the local road," the report said.

Transport NSW will prepare a comprehensive socio-economic and agricultural impact assessment of the bypass to identify opportunities to avoid and mitigate potential impacts to local businesses through the project.

"This will look at the project's impacts and benefits to nearby businesses, particularly those who have a dependence on highway generated trade," the report said.

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The report said there were many details still to be determined in the plan. These included the location and type of connections onto the bypass, access to Moruya Airport from the bypass, opportunities to incorporate Aboriginal community and culture into the project and the alignment of the project to reduce the impact for local farmers.

After Health Infrastructure at a community consultation session in Moruya in March said Transport NSW was a separate government entity and planning of the new Eurobodalla Hospital a different project to the bypass, the latest report said the two agencies were working to "integrate planning for the future bypass of Moruya and Eurobodalla Regional Hospital".

Transport NSW estimate the refining design process will take six months to complete.

"The feedback provided by the community will be used by Transport in its selection of a preferred option," the report said.

An interactive dashboard displaying the community's feedback is available online.