General News
19 January, 2023
Roadwork chaos isn’t over yet
TABLELAND residents will continue to be plagued by the ongoing roadworks on the Kennedy Highway to Cairns after the recent wet weather caused large potholes and landslides to form, while plans progress for a separate set of road upgrades near Kuranda.
Roadworks have been a common site for Tablelanders for nearly two years as numerous upgrade works have taken place on separate sections of the Kennedy Highway including from Mareeba to Cairns and Mareeba to Atherton.
Locals have vocalised their disappointment with the state of the road as large potholes continue to form on the Mareeba section as well as around Rocky Creek where the recent weather and sub-contractor availability has delayed permanent repairs to the road.
A Department of Transport and Main Roads spokesperson said final asphalt works on the road would be completed by the end of January despite a commitment by the department to repair the Rocky Creek section in December.
“The contractor carried out temporary pothole repairs on the Kennedy Highway at Rocky Creek last week,” he said.
“Transport and Main Roads and the contractor will continue to monitor the road condition to ensure it remains safe.
“The final asphalt works will be com-pleted by the end of this month, pending weather and construction conditions, we'd like to thank motorists for their patience and urge them to drive to conditions in this wet weather.”
Motorists seeking to travel to Cairns from Mareeba have experienced a similar plight with a section of the road also dotted by large potholes and even small landslides occuring in some areas.
These works are the sixth and final stage of the $45 million safety upgrades between Mareeba and Kuranda with a slated completion date of March 2023, weather and construction conditions permitting.
“The contractor has carried out repairs and will continue to monitor the situation and carry out further repairs if required,” the department spokesperson said.
“As part of the project, the contractor will complete full width sealing works of the road sections that were widened, when the weather allows for it.
“We are investigating embankment erosion that occurred in the project area and will take appropriate action to ensure the area is safe.”
However, locals have not seen the last of holdups on their way to Cairns with more works on the way for the section of the highway between the Barron River bridge in Kuranda and Saddle Mountain Road set to commence in the coming weeks.
The works will supposedly extend the life of the road and may reduce the formation of potholes.
Further along, Main Roads is progressing with the $35 million Intelligent Transport System (ITS) which aims to improve safety and traffic flow on the Kuranda Range. Works are expected to be completed by March 2023.
