Upgrades to improve safety and resilience on Kuranda Range Road

The Australian and Queensland governments have developed a strategy to improve safety on the Kennedy Highway between Smithfield and Kuranda, known locally as Kuranda Range Road.

The 13-kilometre section of the Kennedy Highway between Cairns and Kuranda is the most direct route between Cairns, the Northern Tablelands and the Cape York Peninsula therefore it is favoured by motorists.

The road carries around 9,000 vehicles per day, a mix of local, freight and tourism traffic. The road is narrow and winding, passing through the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. 

The Wet Tropics are home to a variety of rare and some threatened flora and fauna species, including the Southern Cassowary, and holds immense biodiversity and scenic value.

Tropical Cyclone Jasper underlined the importance of safe and resilient roads that connect Cairns and the Tablelands.

Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) priority on Kuranda Range Road is the long-term repair works of the sections that were damaged due to Tropical Cyclone Jasper and the associated monsoonal rainfall. These works are currently in design.

The recovery works are jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, and is in addition to the Kuranda Range Road upgrade.

Safety and resilience works that require lane closures will start after completion of the recovery works to mitigate further disruptions to road users.

The Kuranda Range strategy aims to reduce the amount and length of unplanned closures of the road.

The two governments have committed $262.5 million to the Kuranda Range Road upgrade strategy with the Australian Government investing $210 million and the Queensland Government investing $52.5 million.

As part of the strategy, TMR is proposing several upgrades, including:

• A safe turn-around area, suitable for vehicles up to 19 metres, to provide an option to turn around and change travel plans in case Kuranda Range Road is unexpectedly closed.
• A concrete median barrier at the bend locally known as ‘The Hairpin’ to reduce the risk of head-on crashes.
• The installation of a further 10 Intelligent Transport Systems technology stations on Kuranda Range Road covering a further 5.5 kilometres. These stations provide real time information to Traffic Management Centre operators to detect hazards, and monitor changes in road conditions and traffic behaviour.

Other options in the strategy include additional guardrails, shoulder widening, centre line treatments, vegetation management and slope stability treatments.

The Kuranda Range Strategy is now live and can be found HERE.