Range needs proper plan

FIX OUR BROKEN LINK

THERE are heightened calls for the Queensland government to “get the ball rolling” and call for a modernised Far North Regional Plan capable of fast-tracking a Kuranda Range Road upgrade.

Far North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils executive officer Darlene Irvine said while it was “super positive” that all three tiers of government supported a plan to fix the broken link, time was ticking as the state-run process was likely to take at least a year to complete.

“Renewing the current regional plan will not only have a positive impact on an upgraded Kuranda Range Road but also things like the housing crisis that we have at the moment,” she said.

“To get the ball rolling we need the Queensland government to essentially decide that our regional plan needs to be reviewed,” she said.

“Affordable and available housing, social housing, all of that can be captured in the regional plan and it is core to a number of our big issues at the moment, other than the Kuranda Range as well.”

The accident-prone stretch was discussed at a panel in Cairns on Thursday, with federal Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch, Barron River MP Craig Crawford, Cairns Regional Councillor Brett Moller and Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie all agreeing it was an urgent issue.

Mr Crawford said updating the FNQ Regional Plan was a major priority from his state Labor government.

Ms Irvine said a “catalytic project” such as the range needed both the political will and the elements outlined to support the upgrade before a cost-benefit analysis was done.

She said the current plan was developed “to avoid the need to upgrade Kuranda Range road as long as it can” and to restrict the population growth on the Tablelands.

Meanwhile, Mr Entsch said Labor’s recently promised $210m would not be enough to build a new bridge and alternatives should be considered.

He favoured the Radicliffe Highway proposal, which comes over the top of the Crystal Cascades and feeds into the western arterial.

“There’s no tunnelling required, it is all drier Savannah country, and it cuts 21 minutes off the trip, and to me it makes sense,” he said.

“Let’s not do another 10 years waiting for it like they (state government) did.

“Let’s start building the bloody thing.”