General News
16 January, 2026
$4m upgrade to Walsh Street
ONE of the busiest streets in Mareeba will undergo a $4 million upgrade to make the congestion-riddled thoroughfare safer for motorists and pedestrians.
Mareeba Shire Council has approved a $3.997 million tender to HEH Civil Pty Ltd to undertake the works in Walsh Street between Rankin and Herberton streets, which are expected to start before the mid-year.
Mareeba Shire Mayor Angela Toppin said the project would enhance safety for traffic and pedestrians near Coles and K-Hub as well as improving the capacity of the underground stormwater system.
“Council is looking forward to improving the safety of this very busy section of Walsh Street, particularly the traffic flows and the pedestrian crossing,” she said.
The works will include:
The demolition of the Walsh/Rankin Street roundabout to be replaced by a reconfigured roundabout to improve heavy vehicle turning radius’s compliant with requirements for “as of right” semi-trailer operations.
The installation of a centre median pedestrian refuge to minimise vehicle stopping times at the pedestrian crossing between K-Hub and the Coles shopping centre to improve pedestrian safety and reduce congestion at peak times.
The asphalt reprofiling of traffic lane crossfalls in conjunction with the establishment of the mid-block centre median island and the reconfigured roundabout.
An upgrade to streetlighting to improve pedestrian safety at the mid-block pedestrian crossing.
The installation of vehicle detector loops in the asphalt road pavement of the Rankin Street approach to the Byrnes Street traffic lights.
The upgrade of stormwater infrastructure capacity, capturing stormwater at the Herberton Street end of Walsh Street and conveying it to the Hastie Street intersection at St Thomas’s Catholic Primary School via Rankin Street, and
Landscaping improvements that will include the establishment gardens and associated infrastructure in the centre median island and the planting of street trees along the footpath.
