Jervis Bay Road intersection upgrades celebrate major safety improvements

After a grassroots campaign spanning almost a decade, residents are celebrating major safety improvements to one of New South Wales's most dangerous roads.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among the politicians who met with community groups for the opening of the first stage of upgrades to the Jervis Bay Road intersection on Friday.

The $164 million project to create an interchange and flyover bridge over Jervis Bay Road began in 2018 after pressure from residents including Liz Tooley.

Ms Tooley said the flyover bridge would provide meaningful safety upgrades when it opened to traffic in July,

"It's just going to change everybody's experience of coming to Jervis Bay either as a tourist, a day tripper or a resident," she said.

'Like Russian roulette'

At the gateway to the small towns of Jervis Bay, Huskisson and Vincentia, Ms Tooley said cars attempting to turn right from Jervis Bay Road onto the Princes Highway were forced to contend with dangerous traffic conditions.

"It was almost like Russian roulette," she said.

"You've got to go across a line of traffic which is travelling south at 100 kilometres an hour and you've got to watch for traffic turning into Jervis Bay Road coming in on your left.

There have been 16 crashes at the intersection In the past 10 years, resulting in four major injuries and 16 minor injuries, according to data from Transport for NSW.

Taking action alongside her community group Vincentia Matters, Ms Tooley raised more than 14,000 signatures in a petition delivered to state parliament in September 2020.

Responding to community pressure, the NSW government committed to building an interchange two months later.

Solution to 'highly dangerous' road

In an address to federal parliament in 2024, federal member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips said the intersection was highly dangerous.

"The Princess Highway Jervis Bay intersection is the busiest and most crash-prone intersection from Nowra to the Victorian border," she said.

Ms Phillips was joined by NSW South Coast MP Liza Butler and member for Kiama Katelin McInerney at the opening today.

The project was launched after a smoking ceremony and traditional dancers from performers with the First Nations organisation Gadhungal Marring.

Acknowledging the grassroots campaign, Mr Albanese said the government had listened to the community.

"I know that the community here campaigned so strongly for this project," he said.

"I've had the privilege of staying in beautiful Jervis Bay. What you know is that every time you try and get out and around onto the highway, it's was a very dangerous spot.

"What this has done is improve road safety, improve travel times. [It's] good for tourists and good for locals."

The southbound lane of the bridge will open to traffic on July 1, while the northbound lane will open on July 3.

The bridge will accommodate four lanes of traffic once completed by 2027.

It will be followed by a $500 million project to upgrade 6 kilometres of the Princes Highway between Jervis Bay Road and Hawken Road.