Traffic stopped at Kuranda Range roadworks factor in vehicle pile-up
Questions have been asked of a dithering state road authority that after seven months has failed to open the notorious Kuranda Range road, with police alleging a drug-driving truck driver caused an 11 vehicle pile-up at roadworks on the critical route this week.
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Questions have been asked of a dithering state road authority that after seven months has failed to open the notorious Kuranda Range road, with police alleging a drug-driving truck driver caused an 11 vehicle pile-up at roadworks on the critical route this week.
On Monday afternoon drivers stopped at mobile traffic signals were lucky to escape serious injury when an alleged drugged-up truck driver ploughed into a line of traffic stopped near Rainforestation.
Kuranda business owner Rahm Adamedes was caught up in long lines of traffic unable to get through the crash site as emergency service vehicles arrived at the scene.
He said uncertainty surrounding the desperately-needed reconstruction of the ailing Barron River bridge and carnage on the range road was damaging to Kuranda as a destination and impacting his business Rare Earth Oils.
“What we see is delays and accidents and it affects the business and then locals get a phobia of driving up the range,” he said.
“It’s a great destination but we don’t want people to think it’s one of the nation’s most dangerous roads.
“It affects the tourism value and that has an economic impact.”
Mr Adamedes said rather than preparing for the upcoming wet season authorities, were playing catch up, dealing with damage caused by the last monsoon season including Ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
Following the latest range road incident, police charged a 46-year-old Manoora man with driving without due care and attention as well as drug driving, after his prime mover and trailer crashed into the back of a line of stationary vehicles.
No pleas have been entered.
The mobile traffic control unit’s regulation of traffic through single lane sections has become a semi-permanent fixture of the twisting Tablelands access route since landslides damaged the roadway at Streets Creek and near the Henry Ross Lookout.
The repair work has been hampered by severe wet weather lasting beyond usual wet season months.
Department of Transport and Main Roads has never stated when the road will return to double lane capacity.
A $30m Intelligent Transport System that became operational weeks before the landslide event last year was spruiked by the state government as a safety and reliability solution on the range, but Kuranda resident Mark Riley said there was no unit installed in the vicinity of Monday’s accident.
“I think it was a waste of money, I think it was better seen on planning and design of a new route, they all know we need a better route from Cairns to the Tablelands, they can keep throwing money at it but it’s not going to fix anything,” he said.
Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch accused Roadtek and TMR of not planning for increased traffic movements, road repair on the range or the replacement of the Barron River bridge.
“It’s outrageous the lack of foresight and lack of forward planning,” he said.
“You only have to look at the Barron River bridge, they should have had enough money to cover the cost of that bridge, it’s 10 years past its due date and they don’t even have a business case.
“All these flashing lights and emergency signs are not worth a cup of cold water and they have cost the taxpayer $30m.
“You can put as much lipstick on the pig but it will never be fit for purpose, it will never be a heavy vehicle access route to the Tablelands.”
The man charged following Monday’s crash is scheduled to appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on September 5.
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Originally published as Traffic stopped at Kuranda Range roadworks factor in vehicle pile-up
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