Campaign for southern bypass option

KATINA CURTIS

A BERRY man has begun a crusade to get the Roads and Traffic Authority to consider a southern option for the Princes Highway bypass of the town.

In just over a week, Rick Gainford collected more than 500 signatures on a petition he presented to Member for Kiama Matt Brown on Monday.

Mr Gainford said he would not stop until something was done.

In the study for the Gerringong-to-Bomaderry highway upgrade, only two options are given to bypass Berry – both to the north-west of the town.

Mr Gainford said both would effectively cut the town in two.

“They’re saying there’s six different options they short-listed and then they cut it back to two, both of which actually don’t bypass Berry, they bisect Berry,” he said.

Mr Gainford said the two options amounted to the RTA asking Berry residents if they wanted to shoot themselves in the right foot or the left foot.

The RTA said there would be a significant impact, with the route analysis stating “both routes have the potential to cause community severance by creating a physical barrier between the existing township of Berry and future residential growth to the west of Berry along Kangaroo Valley Road”.

Mr Gainford is encouraging people concerned about the effect a northern alignment would have on Berry to make a submission to the RTA before February 29, when public consultation finishes.

“It’s not a fait accompli,” he said.