The new bypass plans launched a week ago by the Committee4Wagga are an interesting start.

However, can anybody honestly see quick progress, when replacing the little old Kapooka brick bridge turned into a $55 million job after environmental objections forced a lengthy deviation? Since the river is involved in two of the bypass plans, environmentalists will have a field day.

Of the three plans, the one with the most potential is the direct route across the Eunony Bridge, through North Wagga, and onto the Olympic Highway. Duplication of the Gobba and Eunony bridges could come after traffic patterns had been established. Of course that route is not flood free.

The “red” route in the plan goes north beyond Bomen, a lot of extra kilometres. It would presumably be flood free, but well outside the city in terms of noise, unless of course you happen to live at Estella.

This may not be a big problem, because after all, Albury opted for an inner route with sound barriers.

The Bomen route would have the potential to be popular for out-of-town truck refueling, and crew exchanges. Crew facilities would have the potential to generate jobs.

With the preferred southern route I can see an immediate planning problem.

The mythical “very fast train” is sketched to bypass Wagga and the viaduct, by going along a very similar route.

We need to know if, and where, any new railway may go before we get too carried away.

That brings me to the injustice that long term planning, but building inaction, can bring to affected landholders. A family friend had a duck farm at Prestons near Liverpool.

He was unable to sell for nearly 40 years, because a final decision had not been made on the route for the expressway bypass of the old Crossroads!

All of the landholders along these proposed Wagga bypass routes would find themselves in a similar position if they tried to sell now. Wagga needs a bypass. In fairness, the route must be finalised long before 2030, and the land acquired.

- Keith Wheeler