Traffic ripping up Cape roads

HIGH traffic volumes in a condensed tourist season are being blamed for poor conditions on Cape York roads as visitor numbers reach a peak-season crescendo in the north.

Heavy rain in December, a monsoonal trough in February and Cyclone Trevor in May meant a late start to the tourist season and are the reasons for poor conditions on the Peninsula Development Rd north of Lakeland.

Cook Shire Mayor Peter Scott said the main thoroughfare to the tip of Cape York was being hammered by motorists forced to delay a bucket-list trip to the tip.

“(Wet weather) kept the road closed until well into the tourist season and when it finally did open, it has been pounded,” he said.

“Tourism numbers are going up by 1000 cars every year. This is what happens at this time every year when we get a lot of tourist traffic.”

Cr Scott said corrugations, dust holes and loose gravel on the PDR were so bad in places, graziers were holding off on sending cattle to the Mareeba sale yards.

“The road is very rough out there. Some are not taking cattle out because the road is so rough and they don’t want to hurt the cattle,” he said. “One bloke took 24 hours to get from north of Coen to Mareeba.”

Cr Scott said the stretch from Kowanyama to Pormpuraaw via the Pormpuraaw Rd was also in “pretty ordinary shape”.

The Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council has advised motorists the Jardine River Ferry is in need of “urgent and immediate maintenance repairs” and is not equipped to deal with heavy vehicle crossings.

The council suggested drivers delay non-essential travel to ease traffic at the crossing southeast of Bamaga.

Cr Scott said he had received confirmation from Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch that the Federal Government had committed $10 million to building a bridge over the river.

“(And) they are waiting on the Department of Transport and Main Roads to come up with a design for the bridge and a costing. Once we have got that, we can find the other dough to do that,” he said.

Cr Scott, responding to comments made by Cook MP Cynthia Lui criticising Mr Entsch for a failure to deliver on Cape road funding, said this issue would always be politicised. “Both sides drag it out a bit to get the best political mileage,” he said.

TOURISM NUMBERS ARE GOING UP BY 1000 CARS EVERY YEAR.

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