Not too late to fix bypass plan

TWO notable flaws have emerged in the design of the $152 million Smithfield bypass.

One is traffic lights at the Yorkeys Knob turn-off and the other is the overpass at the northern end overshooting McGregor Rd which feeds the James Cook University campus.

Both smack of cost-cutting and will cause more problems than solve them.

The traffic lights at Yorkeys Knob will result in traffic banking up while motorists coming off the overpass and wanting to drive on to McGregor Rd will have to travel north to the Trinity Park roundabout and then double back.

During peak-hour periods traffic will be lined up from the city and from the Caravonica roundabout.

It will be compounded as drivers come to a halt after travelling at 100km/h between Holloways Beach and the Yorkeys Knob turn-off.

Why isn’t there an overpass at Yorkeys Knob and why doesn’t the northern overpass flow directly on to McGregor Rd?

Cairns Regional Council also has thrown a spanner in the works with a secret wish list which it believes will fix the traffic woes without the bypass going ahead, including extra turning lanes at the airport and an overpass at general aviation.

The bypass was hurriedly put together in the lead-up to the last election.

It was initially welcomed by the council, commerce and industry, the community and commuters. But the devil is in the fine print. It is not too late for the government to reconsider the plans as the tender process is far from over. Nick Dalton Deputy editor