General News
17 February, 2026
Major traffic makeover
ROUNDABOUT bottlenecks, stop-start traffic flow, risky pedestrian crossings, poor lighting and drainage flooding will be targeted when the long-awaited Walsh St improvements project begins later this month.
The upgrades, between Herberton St and Rankin St, were scheduled for mid-year but have been pushed forward because of contractor availability.
In a statement provided to The Express Newspaper last week, council said the project would be carried out in staged sections and completed in 20 weeks, weather permitting.
The timing of the works would also be “heavily dependent on delivery of supplies”.
Residents could expect some disruption to traffic, including temporary detours, along one of the busiest streets in Mareeba.
A council spokesperson said driveways to all businesses will remain accessible during construction, and traffic control may be in place at certain times during the project.
Water or sewerage services were not expected to be affected.
As reported earlier this year, following the awarding of the $4 million contract to HEH Civil Pty Ltd, the works will include the installation of innovative traffic signalling, redesigned roundabouts and new stormwater infrastructure.
The project also addresses community calls for better footpaths, more lighting and a landscaping makeover in the congested stretch between Coles and K-Hub.
“While the plan to improve this section has been in the works for a number of years, we were able to take key community priorities from the recent Mareeba CBD Blueprint Masterplan to inform our plan for this space,” Mareeba Shire Mayor Angela Toppin said.
One of the highlights in the works was the installation of “vehicle detection loops” on the Rankin St approach to the Byrnes St traffic lights.
“These loops will monitor when traffic is backing up closer to the ... roundabout and will communicate with the traffic lights, prompting the lights to prioritise the release of traffic from the Rankin Street roundabout, particularly during peak times such as the 3 pm school pickup period.”
Other upgrades included reconfiguring the Walsh St-Rankin St roundabout to ensure long vehicles had more space, thereby improving flow and safety, and kerb buildouts and pedestrian refuges to “make crossing easier and provide better connections to footpaths and businesses”.
The pedestrian crossing between K-Hub and Coles will be relocated, to improve the traffic flow of the carpark driveways. Again, Traffic Control will assist to minimise any impacts.
The new crossing would be well-lit and have a centre median refuge. The area would also benefit from landscaping, with street tree plantings along footpaths and gardens established in the centre median island.
In terms of drainage, additional stormwater pits were to be installed from Herberton St to Hastie St, via Rankin St and Constance St. These pits would capture surface water from the kerbs and divert it into an underground stormwater network, ending the issue of sewerage overflows that have plagued residents whenever heavy rains impacted the area.
In discussions with council at its last meeting, Mayor Toppin said continuing work on watermain replacements and sewer mains was essential and asked the public to be patient.
“It’s ongoing, it’s in your face and we’re forever asking our residents to be patient, but these are … what I call, essential projects, not pretty projects, this is what council is about.”
The project is being funded by the Federal and State Governments, and the MSC.
