At only two pages, it doesn't give Hawkesbury residents any more detail on the critical issues for our area, namely what route over the mountains the study's taskforce will be assessing, and how the community consultation will be carried out.

The corridor plan's main purpose is to determine what land needs to be reserved for a future upgraded Bells Line of Road, which the federal and state governments estimate will be necessary in 25-30 years.

When asked when the study will start, a spokesman for Anthony Albanese, the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development said the first steering committee meeting is scheduled for late March in the RTA's North Sydney offices.

Londonderry MP Allan Shearan said he thought the community consultation phase would come first in the process, which would then determine the preferred route.

"It's my understanding the preferred route will be determined by the community consultation," he said.

He said part of the community consultation would be meetings between the committee and groups which have an interest in the study.

"[We MPs] are going to have regular meetings about once a month about it and I'll be conferring with the RTA on a regular basis," he said.

"There'll be a consultation phase starting up where they gather information locally and get the views and opinions and then they'll develop a plan. But they probably won't have preferred routes until next year some time."

Transport campaigner and Hawkesbury Mayor Bart Bassett said the study appeared to be "a political solution to calls in the central west for a new road (over the mountains)".

"We've got more money going into an 18-month excuse to look like they're doing something, but what would be better is the money being spent on safety upgrades to the existing Bells Line of Road right now.