The primary objectives of the project are to:

• Alleviate the impacts of traffic growth along Tongarra Road, Albion Park
• Ease traffic congestion within the Albion Park Town Centre
• Increase the safety of roads within Albion Park
• Provide a valuable addition to the transport network.

The extension of Tripoli Way was identified by Council in 1961 as a long term strategic plan to manage our growing community. The project will reduce congestion on the Illawarra Highway through Albion Park, and has been identified in Council's Section 94 Contributions Plan since 1993.

Council engaged consultants, Cardno, in 2016, to help guide design and define project delivery and scope. In February 2020, Council endorsed community consultation to take place on the preferred alignment.

The Tripoli Way Extension is a separate project to the APRb. The physical works for the APRb will finish approximately 350 m north of the where the Tripoli Way Extension ties into Terry Street/Illawarra Highway. However, the design of the Tripoli way Extension has been developed with consideration of the broader traffic network, including the implications of the APRb on local and regional traffic.

The Tripoli Way Extension will improve connectivity with the APRb northbound entry and southbound exit ramps

Early Works, will commence in 2024 and include earthworks and service relocation.

The Main Construction phase is set to start in early 2025 and is expected to take around 24 months. The road is anticipated to open for traffic around 2027. However, these timeframes are indicative only and depend on a range of factors including the design development process; the outcomes of the environmental assessment and approval process; and the availability of funding.

Council will keep the community up to date on the project's progress.

The community will be invited to make submissions during the public exhibition of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). All submissions will be; collated, responded to and exhibited as part of the EIS process

No, the project is not approved yet.

The concept design is now complete. Environmental approvals including the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) development are currently ongoing. The EIS is a document considering the potential environmental impact of the project.

The community will be invited to make submissions during the public exhibition of the EIS. Council will then consider all feedback before making a determination.

The Review of Environmental Factors (REF) for Tripoli Way Extension is now publicly available.

The Review of Environmental Factors examines potential impacts of the extension, and how Council will minimise the impacts to the community and surrounding environment.

The Review of Environmental Factors (REF) has recommended that additional studies are completed and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is prepared. Council has engaged consultants to complete these additional studies.

The environmental assessment considers a range of factors including traffic, noise, ecology, heritage, water quality, flooding, visual and social impacts. The impacts will be identified in both the REF and the EIS documents and appropriate measures to minimise and manage these impacts will be recommended.

A significant portion of the project will be on Council owned land, some land within private properties will need to be acquired for the project. The precise extent of property acquisition is currently being confirmed as part of the design development process. Council will consult directly with impacted landholders regarding the potential acquisition process proposed as part of the project.

Council has engaged Public Works (PW) to manage property acquisition for the project. Negotiations with some relevant property owners have commenced.

Council will consider the feedback from the community as part of the design development process and the environmental assessment process

Council has commissioned a Noise Impact Assessment as part of the Review of Environmental Factors (REF). The assessment will identify likely changes to the noise environment surrounding the Tripoli Way Extension as a result of the project. Where modelled noise levels are predicted to exceed the noise limits described in the current TfNSW Guidelines, the REF will identify a range of mitigation measures to be implemented which may include alternative pavement types to reduce road noise, screening where feasible and at-property architectural treatments.

The barrier is required for safety reasons. The inclusion of the central barrier and restriction to left-in/left-out access only, has been carefully considered as part of the design development for the project. It is needed to ensure the safety of road users, including both local residents and through-traffic, given the increased traffic volumes predicted to be using this route. The barrier will prevent cars from turning right across oncoming traffic between each intersection.