At the November quarterly meeting, SEATS confirmed its previous resolutions to establish an east west crossing of the Illawarra Escarpment based on the Nowra-Nerriga (MR92) link already upgraded to B-double standard.

SEATS has been holding this line in its advocacy to resolve the freight issues following the reduction in load limits on Hampden Bridge in Kangaroo Valley and proposals to build a temporary replacement bridge to restore the status quo. SEATS has for over two decades been advocating that an alternate route to Mt Ousley Rd needs to be available for HML vehicles and that the development of an alternate East West Freight Route needs to be based on increasing the capacity of the FREIGHT network which has been inadequate for around two decades at least.

With increases forecasted in road freight by two of the largest manufacturers in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven, the Manildra Group and Bluescope Steel, the capacity of Mt Ousley Rd will be tested in the near future. SEATS believes that additional capacity needs to be built into the FREIGHT network asap.