Highway’s rocky rating

Kennedy voted as state’s fourth worst road

AS CREWS work to fix the faulty roads in the Tablelands, Queensland motorists have voted to say they have had enough.

RACQ released the results of its Unroadworthy Roads Survey, with the Bruce Highway – which ends in Cairns – topping the list and the Ken- nedy Highway coming fourth.

RACQ spokeswoman Lucinda Ross said the Kennedy attracted a lot of complaints about the narrow, winding route up the Kuranda Range.

“Motorists were concerned with the lack of safe overtaking opportunities on the Kennedy – something made worse by the significant number of heavy vehicles using the road each day.”

Kuranda Range Updates Facebook group administrator Kirsten Kolijn said she wasn’t surprised to learn the road had come fourth on the poll.

“The State Government has known for a long time and not put any funding to making a difference,” she said.

“They filed a few holes and that’s it.”

Atherton Mechanical Service owner Judy Vermeer said potholes were a major source of concern on the highway.

“There was a big pothole last month that took out lots of cars in the Tolga Scrub,” Ms Vermeer said.

“We get a lot of interstate travellers at this time of the year with caravans and it’s dangerous.”

The Department of Transport Main Roads has undertaken remedial works on parts of the highway near the Upper Barron Rd alongside Palmerston Highway and the Millaa Millaa-Malanda Rd.

TMR district director Sandra Burke said remedial works on Kennedy Highway would be carried out for roughly three more days before moving on to the Palmerston.

“We are also continuing to monitor the Millaa Millaa Malanda Rd site, which has been stabilised,” she said.