New plan first step in delivering $1bn Kuranda Range Rd fix

The first step towards the biggest infrastructure project ever in Cairns has been made possible by pending tweaks to the Tablelands Access Strategy. Timeline revealed on an options study and detailed design to fix the Kuranda Range Rd.

THE first step toward the biggest Far Northern infrastructure project ever undertaken has been realised with the long-awaited upgrading of an outdated planning document key to guiding future growth of the Far North.

The state government has responded to a chorus of voices that have long called for the updating of the 13-year-old Far North Queensland Regional Plan. The document is considered to be key in determining the long-term future of a region and is expected to be complete within 12 months.

A long-awaited state government report in January 2022 into the future of the road found no major upgrades or alternatives to the Kuranda Range Road would be needed until 2051. Picture: Brendan Radke

A population predicted to eclipse 302,500 by 2031 within the Cairns region has highlighted a critical need for Kuranda Range Rd upgrades.

A need championed by Far North leaders in August at a delegation to meet the new Labor government and check in on a pre-election promise of $210m pledged for safety upgrades to the Kuranda Range Rd.

Federal Labor transport spokeswoman Catherine King visited Cairns in April to announce $210m for the Kuranda Range Road with Labor Kennedy candidate Jason Brandon, Leichhardt candidate Elida Faith. Picture: Brendan Radke

An early estimate of the total project cost comes in at about $1bn.

Far North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils executive officer Darlene Irvine said it was requested that $20m be set aside to be invested in capacity improvement as well as a safety fix for the road.

“They said they are committed to the election promise but it would need Minister (Mark) Bailey to change it,” Ms Irvine said.

A shift in allocation of finances will help pay for an analysis of options study before a detailed business case will map how capacity and safety will be improved on the range.

Scene of a truck rollover on the Kuranda Range Road in February attended by Queensland Police forensics officers and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. The road was closed to all traffic for around seven hours. Picture: Brendan Radke

An options analysis is expected to take one year to complete and a timeline on a detailed business case will range between 18 months and two years.

But the first step is to keep the pressure on through advocating for a regional plan that acknowledges growth, Ms Irvine said.

The future growth and success of the agricultural and import industries in Far North Queensland relies on the upgrade of the crucial link between Cairns and the Tablelands, the Kuranda Range Road. Mareeba residents Karyn Mitchell and her son Zeph Mitchell, 17, at the start of the Kennedy Highway at Smithfield. The family drives the Kuranda Range Road up to eight times a week. Picture: Brendan Radke

“It’s a massive deal, any investment is guided by what’s in the new regional plan,” she said. “They are doing an economic strategy and infrastructure plan for the greater regional area that will tie down into a regional plan.”

In January the controversial Cairns to Northern Tablelands Access Strategy, to the bewilderment, of the broader community stated the Kuranda Range Rd will not reach full capacity until 2051.

A road safety traffic camera installed on the Kuranda Range section of the Kennedy Highway by the Queensland government's Main Roads department. Picture: Brendan Radke

Ms Irvine said the report could be amended to factor in a greater population growth rate of one per cent cited in the $1.6m document.

“This new regional plan will be about articulating the regional growth that will change the outcome of that study,” she said.

Planning Minister Steven Miles conceded much had changed in the Far North since the release of the current regional plan in 2009 which was based on a 2006 census population of 122,731 people within the Cairns region (SA4).

A fallen tree on the Kuranda Range Road.

“Updating the regional plan to reflect the latest forecasts is crucial to provide the basis for identifying improved opportunities for economic development and liveability across the Far North,” he said.

Following a meeting of Far North mayors representing the Douglas, Atherton and Mareeba shires with Mr Miles and state development boffins last week, Douglas Shire Mayor and FNQROC chairman Michael Kerr said the time was right to advance the document.

The Kuranda Range Road is the new location of an Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) to help pinpoint the location and severity of an incident, advising motorists to reduce the risk of rear-end crashes.

“Reviewing and updating the regional plan is vitally important for the local councils and our communities as we plan for future growth,” he said.

The $210m federal election pledge is expected to feature in the upcoming October budget – until then Mr Bailey’s office stated no decision would be made on how the funds would be spent.

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Originally published as New plan first step in delivering $1bn Kuranda Range Rd fix