ENABLING INFRASTRUCTURE ADVANCE PRIORITIES 2021/22 CAIRNS RING ROAD COUNCIL: CAIRNS STATE ELECTORATE: CAIRNS, BARRON RIVER FEDERAL ELECTORATE: KENNEDY, LEICHHARDT THE ISSUE BACKGROUND BRIEFING NOTE SUMMARY Access to the Cairns airport and seaport The is part of the National • The Federal Government has from the north, south and west is adversely Highway A1, providing the vital link between confirmed National Highway impacted by a highly inefficient road Cairns, other Queensland coastal cities and A1 will be extended from Cairns to Smithfield, providing network, with all directions constrained by Brisbane. The National Highway A1 has much better links between the the need to travel directly through the Cairns been extended by the Federal Government CBD and the Cairns sea port, CBD. to the intersection of Captain Cook and Cairns airport, the northern beaches and southern access There is significant traffic congestion on Kennedy Highways and Mount Milman route. the Captain Cook Highway and along the Drive, Smithfield, north of Cairns, which will • As Stage 1 of the Cairns Ring Cairns Western Arterial Road, both of which lead to a major upgrade of the Captain Cook Road, Federal investment lead from the northern beaches into the city, Highway. of $287.2 million has been and this makes the transport of freight to, However, the effectiveness and committed, which has been matched by State investment from and between the key port locations safety of the road transport network in of $71.8 million. difficult. and around Cairns will continue to be • The Cairns Western Arterial While there is significant potential to adversely impacted until the State-owned Road intersects with the expand export activities for the Tropical Cairns Western Arterial Road is also fully northern point of National North Queensland (TNQ) region, particularly duplicated from Redlynch to Smithfield Highway A1 and urgently to Asian markets, connectivity between as well as major intersections upgraded. requires State funding of $365.5 million for essential ports is a critical enabling factor in the future The Cairns Arterial road network has been upgrades as Stage 2 of the development of Cairns as an export and underfunded for many years in terms of Cairns Ring Road. The State service hub. capacity upgrades, with residential and Government has promised $60m in the lead up to the last The need to upgrade Captain Cook industrial land development outpacing road election but only $35m was Highway to enhance connectivity was project investments. In January 2019, Cairns allocated in the November recognised by the Federal Government in its Regional Council identified a number of State Budget. July 2020 release of the 2019 National Land underfunded State-owned roads and listed • When the Captain Cook Transport Network (NLTN) Determination them as priority infrastructure projects for the Highway is flooded, the Western Arterial Road is the Review. The review confirmed the National region. The Cairns Western Arterial Road is a only flood free access route Highway A1 would be extended to significant component of this list as the road between Cairns, the northern Smithfield, with works on the first phase is heavily congested on a daily basis and beaches and Kennedy between James Street and Airport Avenue to when the Captain Cook Highway is flooded Highway. begin in mid-2021. The extension of the A1 during wet season or natural disaster, is will free-up State Government funding that the only flood free access route between would previously have been required for Cairns, the northern beaches and Kennedy Captain Cook Highway upgrades. Highway. In the 2020 State election, $60 These funds should be redirected to the million was promised to duplicate the State-owned Western Arterial section of remaining single lane section of the Cairns the Cairns Ring Road which carries 36,550 Western Arterial Road out to the Barron River vehicles per day. Upgrading this section at Kamerunga. Currently, only $35 million is essential to connecting Cairns’ freight has been allocated in forward estimates. It is routes with the region’s premier agriculture vital that the full funding be in the 2021-2022 producing areas (Atherton Tablelands, Cape budget papers, to allow these important York Peninsula and Mossman), while also upgrade works to commence. meeting demand for daily commuter traffic. NEXT STEPS National Highway A1 The required infrastructure upgrades can be achieved through: State Arterial Cairns Ring Road Road • Creating Stage 1 of the Cairns Ring

Road by upgrading the Captain Cook SMITHFIELD Highway which links the northern- most part of the National Highway A1 to the Cairns port and airport; • Stage 2 includes duplicating the Cairns Western Arterial Road to provide a minimum of two lanes in each direction, beginning with the section between Smithfield and the Barron River at Kamerunga;

• Duplicating the Barron River Bridge STAGE 1 at Kamerunga and the Redlynch overpass;

• Upgrading three major intersections Cairns Airport through a combination of overpass, STAGE 2 traffic signal and slip lane projects; • Constructing the McCoombe Street connection road between Ray Jones Drive and Mulgrave Road. It is estimated that a $365.5 million investment is required to cover the cost of the Western Arterial Road upgrades. This will complement the combined CAIRNS CBD State and Federal investment of $359 million committed for Captain Cook Highway upgrades. Cairns Seaport

OUR RECOMMENDATION

• That the Federal Government commitment of $287.2 million for ESTIMATED Captain Cook Highway upgrades be invested over three years 2021- 2022- 2023- 2024- to 2024. PROJECT COST 2022 2023 2024 2025 $724.5M • That the Queensland Government commits $437.3 million for the two stages of the Cairns Ring Road, to be invested over four Recommended $20m $100m $100m $217.3m years from 2022-2025. State Investment • That the Queensland Government completes its detailed planning of the Cairns Western Arterial Road upgrade by Recommended October 2021 and Captain Cook Highway upgrade by October Federal Investment $3m $150m $134.2m 2022.

PATHWAY TO PROSPERITY