Public to decide on Daintree bridge

TO build or not to build, that is the question facing residents of a Far Northern shire over a controversial bridge connecting the modern world with an ancient rainforest.

Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr has vowed to listen to public sentiment and make the hard call on whether to construct a bridge or provide a second ferry across the Daintree River.

In what could prove one of the biggest decisions of his short time in charge of the council, Cr Kerr said he was keen to put an end to the perennial debate over what transport option should be introduced at the gateway to the Daintree Rainforest.

The council has drafted a plan for a bridge and a two-ferry solution to help limit waiting times for motorists travelling the World Heritage listed site and will hand it over to ratepayers to decide.

“An honest, unbiased debate has never really happened in this way so this is the opportunity for the majority of people to make a decision one way or another,” he said.

“There has always been people questioning which way to go. Do we build a bridge or do we go with two ferries? We’re going to find out.”

It comes after Cr Kerr’s council halted investigations into a second ferry when he was elected mayor in March – which was the preferred option under former long-serving mayor Julia Leu.

A two-ferry solution could be completed in just over 12 months while a bridge would take over five years to complete.

The current Daintree ferry contract will expire in June 2021