[3] Prior to AUKUS, local roads used for access to the base had already been at capacity and the proposed expansion forced the City of Rockingham to review the Garden Island Highway.

The city, in October 2024, asked the federal government for funding to review the road access to HMAS Stirling and potentially complete the proposed highway.

[4][5][6] The federal government subsequently announced in December 2024 that it would carry out a feasibility study into the extension of the Garden Island Highway in 2025.

[7] A A$2 million feasibility study by the federal government in 2025 was envisioned to take 10 months to complete but concerns remained that road upgrades were still years away.

[2] As of 2024[update], only the section from Rae Road to the intersection with Hawker Street and Belgravia Terrace are constructed, which is approximately 500-metre (0.31 mi) long.