Pyne slams Qld government’s ‘quick fix’ approach to dodgy Westcourt road
A Cairns councillor tired of seeing cavernous potholes lining a haphazard street in his division has called for a state government department to be stripped of its duty to maintain the road.
A Cairns councillor tired of seeing cavernous potholes lining a haphazard street in his division has called for a state government department to be stripped of its duty maintaining the road.
Last year, Division Five councillor Rob Pyne called out the dozens of potholes along Brophy St at Westcourt with commuters opting to drive on the footpath rather than risk damaging their vehicles on the pock-marked bitumen.
Since then, the Department of Housing and Public Works, responsible for maintaining the asset, has filled in several crater-like chasms along the 150m stretch, lined with social housing on both sides.
But Mr Pyne said the work completed was nowhere near good enough with the ramshackle road expected to deteriorate during the wet season.
“I just think it was a quick fix in some cases here,” Mr Pyne said.
“People around here don’t complain very much but they’re entitled to the same level of service as anywhere else.
“Some of it has held together but the council has a more strategic approach to replacing potholes and to patch these larger sections together properly.”
After years of mismanagement and neglect, Mr Pyne said it was time for the council to step in and manage the roadway.
“The council is better at doing this sort of work,” he said.
“If the state can’t maintain them they’re better off giving the tenure of the roads to the council to maintain because this isn’t good enough.
Disability worker, Ian Berry, who regularly visits friends on the street, said it was time the road was properly maintained.
“It’s been neglected,” Mr Berry said.
“It’s a bit rough at the moment and needs some maintenance. The school run is pretty hectic because it just bottlenecks.”
Residents have previously complained of exposed sewerage pipes due to cracks in the bitumen and concerns around access for ambulances and other emergency due to the road’s state of disrepair.
“It’s very disappointing,” Mr Pyne said.
“What worries me is we know there’s a lot of public housing in the pipeline that’ll come on stream and I’m just like if this is the standard of maintenance I think we should all be concerned.”
The Department of Housing and Public Works failed to respond to questions from the Cairns Post prior to deadline on Monday.
Last year, the Department said “major upgrades” were planned for Brophy St as part of QBuild’s driveway and road upgrade program.
UPDATE
The Department of Housing and Public Works provided the following statement after deadline.
“The Department of Housing and Public Works is working to improve the condition of Brophy Street in Westcourt,” a spokesman said.
“The street has had repairs on potholes carried out twice in the past 15 months.
“The department is engaging a civil engineer to undertake a detailed assessment and design for upgrading of the road. The tender for these services is expected to close at the beginning of November 2025. Upon completion of the assessment and tender period, a timeline will be determined to carry out a full upgrade of the road.
“The department will continue to maintain the road and assess any identified potholes that require repair until the major works can be completed.”
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