Cairns road projects: $44m funds for Captain Cook Highway and projects from Innisfail to Tablelands
The ball is about to start rolling on one of Cairns’ most crucial road projects under more than $44m in “use-it-or-lose-it” funding spread across the Far North.
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THE ball is about to start rolling on one of Cairns’ most crucial road projects under more than $44 million in “use-it-or-lose-it” funding spread across the Far North.
The federal government has announced its national Road Safety Program recipients with the $5 million first stage of the Captain Cook Highway widening project among the first cabs off the rank.
The full project list totals up to $44.1 million in spending – including $8.8 million from the State Government – stretching from Innisfail up to Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands.
Various intersection upgrades across the Far North are in line for more than $17 million worth of works, while the Palmerston Highway from Innisfail to Ravenshoe is earmarked for $2 million.
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Stage 1 of the Mossman-Daintree Rd upgrade will get a $8 million overhaul, with Malanda-Atherton Rd overtaking lanes pegged for $3.6 million.
Meanwhile, a major intersection upgrade at Mulgrave and Balaclava roads at Earlville is getting a $3.2 million fix, with $5.2 million set aside to widen Mareeba-Dimbulah Rd.
Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said the funding pool specifically targeted safety upgrades on some of the region’s most fraught roads.
“This vital funding provides a critical boost to local jobs and the economy in an uncertain environment, but it also delivers lifesaving upgrade works to keep people safe on our roads,” he said.
“The most important thing we can do for our community is ensure we all get home safely as currently around 1200 people die and 40,000 are seriously injured on our roads each year.”
A “use-it-or-lose-it” clause means state governments forego the funds if they are not spent within a strict time frame. If that happens, the funds will be reallocated to projects in other jurisdictions.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said the nationwide $3 billion program was about saving lives.
“Our government is committed to keeping our communities safe, while securing our economic recovery,” he said.
“The funding supports the fast rollout of lifesaving safety works on rural and regional roads … ”
Originally published as Cairns road projects: $44m funds for Captain Cook Highway and projects from Innisfail to Tablelands
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