Work to fix tourist road crash black spots complete
Safety improvements to a notorious section of a busy Far North tourist road has wrapped up following the raising of community concern about dangerous intersections.
Cairns
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Safety improvements at traffic black spots leading to one of the Far North’s must-see tourist destination have been completed at a cost of $12.4m.
A package of works to improve safety along Mossman-Daintree Rd has wrapped up, as part of a $44.1m program of upgrades across the region.
The works include improvements to intersections at Atherton St and Newell Rd north of Mossman and include the realigning the Jones St intersection as well as shutting down access to Atherton St from Mossman-Daintree Rd.
Left and right turning lanes into Syndicate Rd 2km north of Mossman have also been installed.
Federal Infrastructure and Transport Assistant Minister Carol Brown said the upgrade was a step toward curbing fatal road crashes.
“Working with our state, territory and local counterparts, every project we complete takes us a step closer to achieving our goal of Vision Zero: No deaths on Australian roads by 2050,” she said.
Cook MP Cyntiha Lui said conversations with locals led to the decision by planners to close Atherton St access to the main road after safety concerns were raised.
“Safety is our number one priority, and we take community feedback seriously,” she said.
“New arrangements like those installed on Mossman-Daintree Rd can take some getting used to and we appreciate the patience of residents in north Mossman.”
There have been multiple fatalities on the section of Mossman-Daintree Rd leading to the Daintree River crossing, including a 39-year-old Cow Bay man in 2018 and well-known tour operator Lee Lafferty, who died at Rocky Point near the Newell Rd intersection in 2015.
Queensland Senator Nita Green said works will help ensure locals get home sooner and safer.
“Tragically, we know there have been fatalities on this road, and there have been several run-off road crashes, which is why we’ve invested in improved safety at this location,” she said.
The road works kicked off in April 2022 and were part of the Road Safety Program, jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland government.
Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the investment forms part of a $16bn spend on Far North roads during the next four years.
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Originally published as Work to fix tourist road crash black spots complete
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