General News
15 May, 2026
Range road rage
A NEW petition has been launched in a bid to accelerate repairs on the Kuranda Range road as commuters get more frustrated over the works that have been going on for nearly two-and-a-half years.
The majority of the significant damage to the range road occurred in December 2023 as a result of Cyclone Jasper and extreme rainfall associated with the system.
Speewah resident Belinda Anderson launched the petition a week ago to pressure the state government to finish the repairs as quickly as possible.
She also wants more information to be made public about the timeline for the remainder of the works.
Ms Anderson is one of thousands of commuters who use the range road daily and are increasingly frustrated with the continual works and stoppages, as well closures of the road after 9pm.
“I reside in Speewah and work in Cairns. My children also attend daycare/school in Smithfield, so if I happen to have a sick child, I have to do a round trip to drop my other child off to school and also do the pick-up,” she said.
“My husband is a FIFO (fly in/fly out) worker and when he returns from work each week his flight lands at 9pm. However, the range is shut, so he then has to sit at the bottom of the range until midnight to be let through.”
The petition lists demands.
The petition calls for:
Detailed timetable for completion of current repair works to be made public
Monthly public progress updates to be provided, including delays and revised completion dates
An independent public review of works to date, including management, costs and causes of delays
Additional funding, contractors and resources to be allocated to accelerate works
Improvement of traffic management during construction to reduce delays and improve safety
A commitment to permanent cyclone-resilient upgrades for the road.
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Ms Anderson said she contacted local members of parliament to sponsor her petition in the hope “we could get it over the line”.
Member for Cairns Michael Healy was the first to accept, but Ms Edwards stressed she was not seeking to make the issue a political one.
“I didn’t want the petition to be LNP against Labor, I just want answers from whoever is the current government and that so happens to be LNP in Queensland,” she said.
Mr Healy said his office had been inundated with complaints from people who used the Kuranda Range road.
“We are getting hammered on the range road situation all the time – I have a lot of friends that live up here and they are enormously frustrated,” he said.
“A majority of people who contact our office are elderly people who are coming down to Cairns for essential health services, so not only does it have an impact on transport and economies, it’s having a significant impact on quality of life for a lot of people in our community.
“We were at an early dinner with friends the other night and they had to go because the road closes at 9pm.
“When it comes to fixing that road and putting in an appropriate solution, both levels of government have not done the right thing by the people up here and we could all do a lot better.” Mr Healy said making the road robust and one people could feel safe travelling would not be possible while billions of dollars continued to be invested in south-east Queensland.
He had asked for timelines on when the repairs would be finished, but to no avail.
“I’ve tried to ask for an update, and I, as an MP, can’t get any information – they don’t even reply to me. It’s disgraceful because people are not being honest,” he said, suggesting locals should contact their local MP about the issue.
Member for Cook David Kempton also expressed dissatisfaction with the time the repairs were taking at a recent Mareeba Chamber of Commerce lunch, at which he vowed to take up the matter with TMR and the minister.
“I want a clear indication of what the work schedule is and when it will be finished. You say the end of this year? Well, I’ve been told some time next year,” he said.
“I’ll be getting that information and circulating that back into the community.”
To sign the petition, go to www.bit.ly/3PDmJVr and search for 4519-26.
