What new highway realignment could mean for property owners
Property owners potentially impacted by compulsory land acquisitions have had their say on the Cairns Ring Road project after internal TMR planning documents emerged.
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PROPERTY owners living near the Captain Cook Highway potentially impacted by compulsory land acquisition have had their say on the Cairns Ring Road project after planning documents emerged.
Leaked Department of Transport and Main Roads concept drawings drafted by Aecom show a new three lane road ploughing over the top of a home and business on the northern bank of the Thomatis Creek bridge.
The new bridge and a straightening of the kinked section of road between Thomatis Creek and the Yorkeys Knob turn-off is part of a $359m Cairns Ring Road project to bust congestion between the Cairns CBD and Smithfield.
TMR has refused to reveal when the unfunded upgrade will kick off but property owners impacted by the proposed new route Roy and Renae Kunda understood construction could be five to 10 years away, based on meetings with planners in January.
“We always knew that something was going to get done there,” Ms Kunda said.
“It will be three full lanes plus bridge frontage, (land resumption) could equate to between 5 and 10 acres.
“I do feel like it’s a long time down the track … but now that it has been leaked our property value has dropped and that is annoying, you have to think about these things as an investment value.
“Now that it’s out there it’s going to be a question for any buyer.”
The Kundas won’t lose their home if the land resumption goes ahead but a large front section of their property and a shed at the eastern edge of their holdings used to run Cape York Motorcycle Adventures will likely be bulldozed.
Mr Kunda imagined he would be getting into town on an electric-powered flying drone before work on the alignment went ahead.
“It won’t be in my lifetime,” he said.
“But what is a concern, is that this is a future development which stops us from developing this (land) here.
“This is the only problem in the near future for us to maybe put a caravan park in here or whatever.”
The Cairns Ring Road master plan is expected to be completed later this year and will focus on the stage one of the upgrade between Florence St and Aeroglen Dr.
A TMR spokesman while acknowledging the sensitive nature of property resumptions stated they were sometimes a necessary part of new infrastructure.
“We approach each case with the utmost compassion,” he said.
“Extensive consultation with impacted property owners and community consultation for the preliminary master plan along the 15.5km corridor is under way.”
It’s understood internal questions will be asked about how TMR drawings came to be made public.
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Originally published as What new highway realignment could mean for property owners
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