Drivers who became glued to far north Queensland road want compensation for ruined cars

DOZENS of drivers who were left glued to the road in Queensland are hitting up the State Government for ruining their cars.

A truck driver was forced to abandon his vehicle outside the Jaggan Hall after the tyres were gummed up with tar driving along Millaa Millaa Road.

GRUMPY residents forced to abandon their cars on a remote far north Queensland road have warned the State Government they’ll be asking for complete compensation.

At least 60 vehicles were left literally glued to Millaa Millaa-Malanda Rd earlier this week after the unset bitumen left their tyres dripping with sticky tar.

The road has been unsafe since last week after roadworks were ruined by wet weather, leaving the bitumen loose and cracked.

But on Wednesday, as soon as the sun started shining, the bitumen turned into hot glue.

Local resident Deborah Stacey told the Cairns Post the state’s motoring body RACQ had its hands full.

“We had a week of cracked windscreens — RACQ have been doing three to four a day — then as soon as the sun came out, it started sticking,” Ms Stacey said.

Since dozens of drivers were forced to abandon their vehicles — including holiday-makers and truck drivers on strict deadlines — the state’s Department of Transport and Main Roads is frantically trying to fix the problem.

A local is forced to abandon his ute after it became completely stuck to the road. Picture: David Anthony

The melted tarmac on Millaa Millaa-Malanda Road.

In a statement, TMR said it had sent specialist machinery and road seal experts to try to fix the road as quickly as possible.

Ms Stacey said driving the road, which lies an hour-and-a-half south of Cairns, was like “pothole roulette”.

Local residents were furious at the condition of the road, which made some rural towns inaccessible for a number of days.

“We pay taxes just like everyone else does but it seems like our basic needs are secondary, especially for farmers. This is a farming community — that road is the lifeblood of the community,” Ms Stacey told 9 News.

Lindsay Transport truck driver Scott Sargent was forced to abandon the tyres on the side of the road so he could continue working.

Lindsay Transport truck driver Scott Sargent with his ruined tyres. Picture: David Anthony

Transport and Main Roads district director Sandra Burke said about 60 motorists had so far contacted the department seeking compensation for damage caused to their vehicles.

“The situation is completely unacceptable and I apologise on behalf of the department to all those people whose vehicles were damaged and travel plans disrupted by this extremely unusual event,” Ms Burke said.

The TMR district director also said they were rushing a specialised panel-heating machine up from Brisbane to get the road sealed properly.

“This machine uses infra-red heat technology to accelerate the sealing process and can be used in variable weather,” she said.

“We have asked for a TMR bitumen seal expert to travel to the site to provide technical support.”

Ms Burke said claims would be assessed on a case-by-case basis and the department was making sure each driver would be properly compensated.