Kuranda to Cairns transport ‘must be addressed’ so region can thrive
A lack of transport options between the Tablelands and Cairns is a critical bottleneck on growth that must be addressed if the region is to use its agricultural and mineral assets to transform itself into an economic powerhouse of the Pacific.
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The lack of transport options between the Tablelands and Cairns is a critical bottleneck on growth that must be addressed if the region is to use its agricultural and mineral assets to transform itself into an economic powerhouse of the Pacific.
But dreams of prosperity and growth won’t happen without proper planning, according to regional development expert Professor Delwar Akbar, director of CQUniversity’s Centre for Regional Economies and Supply Chains.
Professor Akbar said clearing the way for growth in supply chains was essential for economic growth – and he named the much-maligned Kuranda Range Road as a priority.
The picturesque and winding 16km segment of the Kennedy Hwy between Smithfield and Kuranda is a bottleneck to development with implications right up to Cape York, he said.
Professor Akbar is in favour of options including what is broadly known as the Bridle Track, a $1.5bn alternative route pushed by Federal MP for Kennedy Bob Katter.
It would involve 16km of road from the Davies Creek turn off on the Kennedy Hwy, to the tunnel entrance, and a 1-2km tunnel through Lamb Range, emerging in Cairns’ southern suburbs, where there would be an overpass onto the Bruce Hwy.
“Transport infrastructure going through national parks is nice to visit but a big challenge for transport and a constraint on industries like horticulture,” Professor Akbar said.
“It’s a big challenge to get a tunnel, the government needs to think about how to make it happen, to open up a very big hinterland.
“Connectivity to Mareeba and Atherton is constrained, access is difficult for big trucks due to load limit conditions, some of the route would be very difficult to improve because of the natural landscape, but they can try.”
The state government released a controversial Cairns to Northern Tablelands Access Study in 2022 stating “current modelling indicates that with natural growth rates traffic volumes on the Kuranda Range Road will not meet the threshold for major upgrades until 2051”.
The study revealed when accidents caused closures on the range, the average length of time of a closure was 6.6 hours.
It took a dim view of the Bridle Track proposal.
FNQROC reports the Kuranda Range Rd is already operating beyond capacity and Advance Cairns has been advocating for $21m of an existing $210m in federal funding to be set aside for a detailed business case into alternative routes.
Advance Cairns says the road has long been an obstacle growth, the opening of the Cairns Regional Trade Distribution Centre at Cairns Airport has increased pressure on the Kuranda Range Rd, the route from Smithfield to Mareeba should be added to the national road network, and safety, capacity and efficiency issues are now at a critical point.
“There have been 21 years of studies on the Kuranda Range Road with most recommendations not implemented,” Advance Cairns stated in its most recent budget submission.
Professor Akbar said Cairns’ port and industrial airport capacity needed to expand to truly position the Far North as a gateway to the Pacific.
“The industrial airport has to be bigger, and the sea port has to be extended – Townsville and Gladstone both have bigger ports, they need to do a little supply chain work for port access,” he said.
“An expansion of the international airport would help development of the service industry.”
Advance Cairns wants $45m for a common user hangar, addressing the pressing need for new, expanded facilities.
It says current organisations are operating at full capacity, leading to grounded aircraft and missed business.
“Cairns has a really good future,” Professor Akbar added.
“Between Brisbane and Cairns, there is no international airport.”
He advocated for a big picture approach to town planning – looking at an integrated growth corridor stretching from Innisfail to Port Douglas.
The state government is due to release a draft review of the 13-year-old Far North Queensland Regional Plan, considered to be key in determining the long-term future of a region, later this year.
Originally published as Kuranda to Cairns transport ‘must be addressed’ so region can thrive
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