East Nowra Sub Arterial (ENSA) Road Project

• Project StatusPlanning
• Where East Nowra, Nowra 2541
• Estimated completion date30 June 2027
• Last reviewed 17 June 2026

The latest

The ENSA project is being funded by the NSW Government for project management, investigations, design development and early works. The concept design is progressing well with key design considerations now assessed and locked in. The concept design will be made available around mid-year to the public, enabling public review.

About the project

ENSA is a proposed sub-arterial road that would provide a much-needed alternative connection between the Princes Highway and Greenwell Point Rd and become a primary route for traffic that travels between the highway and Worrigee and the coastal villages to the east. ENSA would significantly reduce congestion at the Princes Highway/Kalandar Street intersection and reduce congestion on the Princes Highway through the Nowra CBD.

ENSA was initiated through Shoalhaven City Council as early as 2004, with concept designs, geotechnical and surveying work completed.

Council has strategically acquired much of the land on which the proposed road alignment sits to minimise barriers for future delivery of the project and facilitate investigations.

In recent years, Council has completed more detailed geotechnical investigations along the proposed alignment to better understand the likely construction costs. The most recent cost estimate for the project is $75 million for the construction of the road and intersections, with a further $25 million estimated in associated works to optimise integration and connectivity with surrounding streets.

The ENSA fly-through video depicts a concept layout for the alignment of the road, indicative intersections with Princes Highway/North Street and Greenwell Point Road, and possible connections to the Nowra High precinct and Stocklands. The intersection options are for illustrative purposes only and would require significant consultation and design investigations to develop preferred options.

Progress

The ENSA team continues to progress through the project phases of planning, investigation and concept design development.

Key aspects that have been completed include:

• Detailed site survey and mapping.
• Service locating – underground utilities and services have been identified. This helps avoid or minimise future disruptions within the design.
• Optioneering assessment – multiple design options have been evaluated to identify an optimal approach. This is the design that we will be shared for public feedback prior to finalising the designs.
• Site walks – site inspections have been conducted to understand existing conditions, including soils and geology, flora and fauna and to help inform our Cultural Heritage Due Diligence Assessment.
• Traffic data collection – traffic patterns and volumes have been recorded to inform design decisions.

Other important matters that we are progressing include:

• Consulting with Nowra High School to understand their requirements for a new configuration of sports fields and facilities. Agreement on what a new design looks like is an important part of progressing a land swap, which is necessary for the new road alignment near North Street.
• Preparation of a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) report. This helps to make sure all potential impacts of construction and operation of the new road have been considered. It also helps us design better outcomes when we assess and understand the risks that might be associated with those potential impacts. In the REF, we will report on how we’ve considered potential environmental, social, economic and cultural impacts and how best to avoid or minimise them.
• Identifying our project stakeholders and planning engagement strategies as the concept design and REF progresses.
• Identifying good places to record background noise levels and talking to residents about hosting our noise monitoring equipment. This information will help us simulate future noise levels associated with the project and understand what that might sound like for nearby residents.
• Understanding past flooding events and reviewing future scenarios that could influence the area once the project has been built. This helps us identify all properties around the project and test drainage options through computer simulated flood modelling.
• Investigating soil chemistry and local geology so that we can ensure a long lifespan for the road.
• Reviewing all the plants and animals that use the open spaces within and adjoining the project boundaries, including any sensitive species that have been previously recorded close to the area. This allows us to improve our understanding of habitats, species abundance, use and distribution in the landscape. It also helps us select the right types of vegetation for landscaping and improve designs where possible to minimise the possible impacts that a new road could cause.

As the project develops, we will provide additional information along with opportunities for you to review the concept design and provide feedback to us.