A new inland highway that would link northern Queensland to the south and offer an alternative to the flood-prone Bruce Highway is back on the political agenda.
As well as making life easier for transport companies and the businesses that suffer when the Bruce is shut, an upgraded inland highway could have serious benefits for grey nomads and other tourists.
The Townsville Bulletin reports that the plan is in its infancy but has the strong backing of Premier Campbell Newman.
“We have got to do everything we can to give all-weather flood-resilient access to North and Far North Queensland,” Mr Campbell said.
Recovery Minister David Crisafulli told the Bulletin that the State Government was seriously examining building a new inland highway or significantly upgrading existing transport infrastructure in the future.
“It’s not something that’s going to happen tomorrow but it should be part of the long-term vision for the state,” he said. “The economic impact on these coastal communities when the Bruce Highway is cut can be huge and we need to ensure we do what we can to reduce that in the future.’’
Mr Crisafulli said existing highways could be upgraded with new sections added to create an alternate access route between the north and south of the state.
Cassowary Coast Mayor Bill Shannon told the paper that the Hann Highway was the perfect road to upgrade.
“I think the Premier is probably talking about upgrading the Hann Highway and that’s something we would definitely support,” he said. “It’s something we have been pushing for a while now to open up the access to southern parts of the state and the rest of the country because when the Bruce (Highway) is cut everything sort of stops for a few days.”
There are two unsealed sections on the Hann Highway which, if sealed, would create a continuous bitumen highway from Cairns to Melbourne.
The first is a 100 kilometre stretch on the Hann Highway, just north of Hughenden. The second is a 34-kilometre stretch on Torrens Rd, just south of the larger section.
Transport Minister Scott Emmerson would not comment specifically on the Hann Highway, but said the Government was “exploring a number of alternative inland routes” to overcome coastal flooding.
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Throwing balls in the air to distract the gathering throng from more serious issues