Transport Minister Andrew Constance has sided with transport bureaucrats, who plan to upgrade the Heathcote Road bridge at Engadine next year while still keeping it two lanes.
"We're supporting Lee and his local community on this issue," Mr Constance said in a statement to the Leader.
"Currently we're working on widening the bridge and improving safety. In the longer term the entire length of Heathcote Road will need to be duplicated."
A spokeswoman confirmed the minister did not support a four-lane bridge in the short term, but rather the Transport for NSW proposal for a wider bridge and approaches.
Mr Constance's position appears at odds with that attributed to him by Heathcote MP Lee Evans in a private member's statement in State Parliament in June.
"I thank the Minister for Transport and Roads, who is in my corner in relation to getting this bridge duplicated," Mr Evans said.
"It has been a hard, long fight against bureaucrats, who believe that two lanes is wide enough".
Mr Evans said, since being elected, he had advocated strongly for duplication of this bridge.
"There must be four lanes," he said.
"Once the Moorebank Intermodal project is completed there will be even more pressure on Heathcote Road with increasing numbers of heavy vehicles utilising the arterial road.
This week, Mr Evans ridiculed Sutherland Shire Council over its resolution at the June 29 meeting to campaign for the bridge to be duplicated.
In a post on the Leader's Facebook page, Mr Evans wrote: "Great news - the council has woken up just 6 weeks too late the consultation on the Heathcote Road Bridge is closed, then I asked people to act and let TfNSW know what your opinion on what the bridge should look like."
The council also passed an earlier resolution, in October 2019, to request an urgent meeting with Mr Constance, road officials and shire MPs to seek an assurance an upgrade of the entire road, including duplication of the Woronora River Bridge, would be given the highest priority.
Deputy Mayor Steve Simpson said at the time, "If we offered that road to some third world country, they would say, 'You are joking', but we accept it".