General News
19 September, 2025
Millions poured into roads
ALMOST $49 million in works is currently being undertaken on eight state-controlled roads damaged by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
Works are being delivered through the 2023-24 Betterment Fund, which is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, and are aimed at minimising future damage from severe weather and reduce road closures during and after disasters.
The works include:
Pavement resilience and sealing over 7km of existing gravel on Forsayth Road
Constructing six additional floodways on the Burke Developmental Road, west of Chillagoe
Drainage improvements at key sections on the Mulligan Highway
Improving drainage, pavement and slope resilience at multiple sites along the Captain Cook Highway
Upgrading drainage at multiple sections of the Kennedy Highway (Kuranda Range Road)
Improving drainage and pavement resilience at multiple sites along Mossman-Mount Molloy Road
Improving pavement resilience and drainage at multiple sites along Mossman-Daintree Road, and
Installing new drainage and pavement resilience at priority sections of Stratford Connection Road.
The betterment projects are targeted to commence from late-2025/early 2026 and will be completed simultaneously with the ongoing reconstruction works.
Eight sites have been repaired, including two major downslope slip sites on Kuranda Range Road, and work is now underway on another 10 sites.
On the Palmerston Highway, which was also significantly damaged during Cyclone Jasper, work is progressing, with piling works to stabilise the downslope landslip at Site 1 started. Each pile measures up to 24 metres and steel casings are installed in the ground to ensure the piling holes don’t collapse.
Concrete is then poured into the casings for structural support. Soil nailing, coir matting and high tensile mesh have been completed on the upslope.
At Site 2, more than 80% of the soil nailing is complete. Once complete, coir netting and high tensile mesh will be installed and the site revegetated prior to the wet season.
