By employees writers
The Queensland LNP and federal Labor governments have promised half a billion {dollars} for a brand new bridge over the Barron River at Kuranda which a majority of Tablelands residents and the transport business are not looking for.
Opinion polls and public conferences for years haven’t favoured a brand new bridge as a result of it connects to one among Queensland’s most harmful highways, the winding and steep Kuranda Vary Street with its inherent main, site visitors accident file.
Most motorists favour a separate new highway and there are 4 choices to select from which have been circulating within the Tablelands and Cairns space for a number of years.
Neither Mareeba Shire Mayor Angela Toppin or councillors answered questions from Cairns Information as to why the council endorsed a brand new bridge when it will severely drawback farmers and the transport business that are presently hampered by having no B-Double entry to Cairns and the Bruce Freeway.
Member for Kennedy Bob Katter doesn’t help a brand new bridge which he mentioned was a “bridge to nowhere” forcing motorists to make use of the damaging Kuranda Vary Street.
He mentioned a brand new highway tunnel ought to be constructed contemplating the price of sustaining Kennedy Freeway, the bridge and Kuranda Vary Street over the previous 10 years “might be as much as $1 billion with none profit.”
“How are they going to enhance the (Kuranda Vary) highway; are they going to chop down all of the bushes and begin bulldozing?” he requested.
“There’s no level in constructing a brand new bridge as a result of you may’t get site visitors off it.
“The pylons on the bridge are alright why don’t they change the deck, which might be a less expensive possibility.”
Cairns Economist Invoice Cummings has been in favour of a brand new highway due to long-term price advantages to Tablelands business and motorists.
“There are not any distance financial savings for Mareeba site visitors by upgrading the vary and there might be a value profit to Tablelands motorists of $1.5 billion over 30 years by developing the Reddicliffe or Smith possibility, however we haven’t finalised that analysis but.”
Street haulage operator Will Lamont of Lamont Transport, Dimbulah advised Cairns Information the state authorities ought to be planning long-term for an entry to Cairns which ought to cater for heavy transport and pure inhabitants development.
“A brand new bridge is not going to assist heavy autos attending to Cairns as a result of it will likely be linked to the damaging Kuranda Vary Street,” Mr Lamont mentioned.
“The examine that mentioned the vary highway wouldn’t be at capability till 2051 is bulls..t.”
“The vary has lengthy gone previous its use-by date and there ought to be a brand new highway to Cairns appropriate for heavy autos and different site visitors.”
A $1.6-million examine in 2022 carried out by consultants investigated various transport routes between Cairns and the Northern Tablelands and located the Kennedy Freeway just isn’t at capability, so there was ‘no want’ for various routes.
The State Authorities examine, which had been delayed a number of occasions, discovered there could be ample capability on the Kuranda Vary till not less than 2051.
A member of the Steering Committee for Kuranda Vary Bypass Street spoke to the Principal Roads Division advisor and examine writer on the time, providing help to examine the route of the proposed Reddicliffe Street which leaves the Kennedy Freeway at Davies Creek east of Mareeba and exits alongside Boral Quarry at Redlynch by way of an overpass at Reservoir Rd to the Western Arterial Street.
The designer of the choice highway, Mr Ron Reddicliffe provided to take the advisor alongside the route which has an current observe nearly to the escarpment overlooking Redlynch Valley.
The advisor took particulars however didn’t contact Mr Reddicliffe at any time leaving doubts that the investigation was a public relations train with a foregone conclusion devised by then Labor Transport Minister Mark Bailey.
Bailey claimed the Reddicliffe route would disturb rainforest though there was a gravel- sealed observe following the proposed new freeway alignment which had been a logging highway.
He didn’t disclose that a lot of the realm in query was gazetted as a mining discipline and had been extensively logged and hand-mined over years.
“What this examine tells us is there may be presently no clear technical justification for a serious improve of current routes, or building of a brand new highway alongside a brand new alignment,” Mr Bailey mentioned.
It’s of word that the mad rush to inefficient renewables by the federal authorities permits for unmitigated, wide-scale destruction of forests together with rainforests and whole ecosystems which have been broken past restore by putting in a whole bunch of 250 metre-high wind mills and hundreds of acres of photo voltaic panels all through the state and nation.
