Newsroom

June 25, 2024

KATTER’S Australian MP Bob Katter says support for a tunnel and new highway to connect resource and produce-rich inland Far North communities with the coast is rapidly growing after multiple failures on existing routes.

Mr Katter said the travel time between Mareeba and Cairns should be about 25 minutes, via the Kennedy Hwy connecting to the existing Bridle Track (which would be formalised into a major highway), then connecting to a 1-2km tunnel near Copperlode Dam and entering the southern suburbs of Cairns.

The Federal MP has commissioned a topographical map which he has been using to demonstrate the differences between the existing route, and the proposed new route.

“As it stands, you leave Mareeba and head east until you hit Davies Creek, then you start heading north away from Cairns and towards Kuranda. And then to come back from Kuranda you have a winding and twisting road not suitable for heavy traffic loads,” Mr Katter said.

“And that’s why we’re seeing and average of 42 closures per year, of about six hours each time. If that was happening on any major route in the southeast, you’d instantly see the ‘Brisbane Government’ pour billions into fixing it. Where’s our fix?”

Mr Katter said the latest wave of support for his proposal comes after the Barron River Bridge had been again deemed unsafe and in need of repairs, estimated to exceed $450m. And further adding to the woes of motorists is the condition of the Kuranda Range Rd which is still yet to be fully repaired following flooding events in late 2023.

“With the bridge, we’ve seen over the last five years they cannot decide. One day it’s safe, the next it’s back to single lane. And then the Kuranda Range section, it’s been reported that road is built on shale soil and not suitable for the constant drilling and construction associated with the ‘safety works’ being undertaken. In fact, it’s the safety works which are causing more washouts and road damage.

“Once again it’s evident that the Kuranda Range Rd should be designated as a  beautiful tourist drive, and we should be moving all our heavy and regular traffic onto a new highway.

“Brisbane just over 1 million people and it has 36km of tunnels; meanwhile North Queensland also has about 1 million people, so where’s our tunnel?

“Did our State Government learn nothing from the December 2023 floods when all three of our major routes connecting Mareeba and the Tablelands to the coast were closed for days and weeks?

“We literally had no way in or out, not just impacting residents, but also our primary producers.

“Build the tunnel so our producers can access the coast, and so that we can resume mining for minerals in the Chillagoe region – offering those miners direct access to Cairns and its port.”