Captain Cook Highway upgrade aims to fix Sheridan St pinch points

A date has been set for the kick-off of congestion-busting upgrades set to deliver safety, capacity increases and connectivity improvements for Far North drivers.

CONGESTION-BUSTING infrastructure upgrades on the Captain Cook Highway worth $359m will get under way later this year.

Early works, set to kick off in September, will target major bottlenecks in and out of the CBD between Airport Ave and James Street.

The $359m Captain Cook Highway project is jointly funded with the federal government committing $287.2m and the state chipping in $71.8m.

The investment is the first to be announced since the Smithfield to Cairns City section was included in the National Land Transport Network last year.

An artist's impression of the work on the Captain Cook Highway in Cairns.

MORE NEWS

Could you fit a house on this bit of land?

Developer’s six-storey tower plan for Cairns

Residents fear ‘cement city’ on northern beaches

Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said the Captain Cook Highway upgrade was a key to the future prosperity of the region.

“This is a critical project that I am immensely pleased to be able to have delivered for the Cairns community,” Mr Entsch said.

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

“The early works package will deliver safety, capacity and connectivity improvements on the section of Captain Cook Highway between Airport Ave and James Street.”

“The works include installation of an additional inbound lane on Captain Cook Highway between Moffat Street and Lily Street, the closure of some existing median breaks on Sheridan Street and intersection upgrades.”

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

However it’s unclear how upgrade planning will improve the notorious pinch point outside the Mother of Good Counsel campus where 40km/h school zone speed limits apply.

Mr Entsch said the major construction business case for the larger package of works from Airport Drive to Smithfield was due for completion by mid-2022.

The successful tender to develop the business case was recently awarded to infrastructure giant AECOM Australia.

“The project will deliver significant and improved upgrades along the Captain Cook Highway, from the Cairns CBD to Smithfield,” Mr Entsch said.

“But more importantly, it will bust congestion, especially during morning and afternoon peak hours along the route for the 45,000 motorists who use the road daily.

“This means that instead of sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, motorists will be able to get home sooner and faster to spend more time with their family and loved ones.

“The Captain Cook Highway upgrades will reduce congestion, improve freight efficiency and access to gateways while also improving road safety.”

Once the upgrade business case is completed, the project will be put to tender, with construction expected to commence in late-2022, weather permitting.

Originally published as Captain Cook Highway upgrade aims to fix Sheridan St pinch points