Cairns North road upgrade to mark stage one of Captain Cook Highway project

A busy, inner-Cairns stretch of the Captain Cook Highway will mark the starting point in the $359m government plan to turn the road to Smithfield into a national highway.

A BUSY stretch of road connecting the Cairns CBD to the airport will mark the starting point in the state and federal government’s $359m plan to turn the road to Smithfield into a national highway.

Upgrades to the road between James St and Airport Ave have been pegged as stage one early works for the Captain Cook Hwy project.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said staging the project meant motorists would be able to realise the benefits of the major infrastructure investment sooner.

“Planning is underway for the James St and Airport Ave section, focusing on capacity improvements, with detailed design to begin soon,” he said.

Traffic on Sheridan Street during the busy Friday afternoon peak hour rush. The northern section of the road has been identified by the federal government as stage one early works for the $359 million Captain Cook Highway upgrade. PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE

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“It is anticipated construction on the first stage of works will start by mid-2021.”

Federal Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said the Captain Cook Hwy project was crucial to enabling improved connectivity in the region for industry and businesses as well as locals and tourists.

He said once planning for the accelerated works program from James St to Airport Ave was completed, work would continue to progress master planning for the entire route between the Cairns CBD and Smithfield.

Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said the plan would help tackle heavy congestion on the highway connecting cairns to the airport.

“It will be fantastic to finally see shovels in the ground on this much-needed project, because that means local jobs, which are very important in the current environment,” he said.

“This capacity-boosting project will address the significant congestion on the Captain Cook Hwy that constrains access to the Cairns Port and Cairns Airport.

“It will also significantly improve access between centres and reduced travel times for thousands of daily motorists.”

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the accelerated works program would create more job opportunities in Cairns’ record road investment program.

“When these works start next year, we’ll have three major road projects collectively worth more than $1bn underway across Cairns at the same time, employing hundreds of workers,” Mr Bailey said.

Cairns MP Michael Healy encouraged people to have their say by filling out a survey online or contacting the project team with feedback.

Member for Cairns Michael Healy is urging the Cairns community to have their say on the project. PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE

“Nobody knows the Captain Cook Hwy like the 45,000 commuters, business owners, transport operators and tour operators who drive it every day,” he said.

“That’s why we want the community to provide feedback on the planning for the Cairns Ring Road project.”

The Get Involved Survey will be open to the public online from August 3 to September 4.

A link to the survey can be found at www.tmr.qld.gov.au/cairnsringroad

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Originally published as Cairns North road upgrade to mark stage one of Captain Cook Highway project