TMR again announces delayed fix to beleaguered Kuranda Range Rd
TMR has blamed another extension of night shutdowns on “highly complex” geotechnical problems after the beleaguered mountain road was badly damaged during ex-TC Jasper in 2023.
Cairns
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The state’s road authority has blamed another extension of Kuranda Range Rd night closures on “highly complex” geotechnical problems after the beleaguered mountain road was badly damaged during ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper in 2023.
Transport and Main Roads first announced full night closures of the range road on November 12, 2024 and within three weeks was forced to extend repair work timeline after the first downpour of the wet season.
On Monday, TMR announced essential geotechnical repairs would be undertaken to stabilise more than 30 landslip sites along the main route connecting Cairns to the Atherton Tablelands.
The road closure between 9pm to 4am will now run until December with the exception of the Easter period, from April 17 to April 21 inclusive.
“The complexity of the geotechnical repairs and limited space within the road corridor means night closures are required for the safety of road workers and motorists,” TMR stated on Monday.
The state government was slammed by newly elected Cook MP David Kempton in November last year over an “extraordinary” seven-figure traffic control bill estimated to be costing the people of Queensland $26,000 a day.
TMR has declined to reveal the cost per day of traffic control at two sites on the range road.
Based on this daily bill, by the time the road work wraps up the total cost of traffic control could be in the order of $18m.
The two main problem areas include a section at Streets Creek and at the Henry Ross lookout where the roadway literally fell down the mountain after heavy rain in December 2023.
Clearing and excavation works scheduled to start this month will aim to remedy a downslope slip below the Henry Ross Lookout.
It’s hoped soil nailing will follow but will depend on the clearing and weather conditions.
At the Streets Creek area additional soil nailing and shotcrete works have been completed to stabilise the embankment and when wet weather ends, rock-fill embankment works will kick off.
On the current estimates, work will be completed in December, almost 24 months since the ex-TC Jasper rain event.
“TMR acknowledges that the pace of the reconstruction program has been slower than the community would like, however, the work is highly complex, requiring specialised skills and equipment and significant resources,” TMR stated in an update on Monday.
“Given the extent of damage, planning, designing, procurement and acquiring suitably qualified contractors for a large range of geotechnical solutions were just part of the extensive behind-the-scenes works that had to be completed ahead of construction.”
During the night works period traffic will be let through once in each direction at 12am however vehicles must be queued at the temporary traffic lights in advance.
There are no scheduled night closures on Friday and Saturday nights.
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