Quaid Road

Quaid Road is a 32 km long stretch of private road in Far North Queensland. The road was given corridor approval and completed in early 1989 through rainforest that was later declared Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in late 1989 and links Wangetti, on the coast just north of Cairns, to Southedge, just south of Mount Molloy.

Controversy

Ever since its construction as a private road to serve a Quaid Real Estate development at Southedge, the road has been a hot issue in Far North Queensland. For years after its construction, the road was suggested as an alternative route to the Atherton Tablelands for everyday traffic as well as evacuations during cyclones. However, in 1997, Transport and Main Roads Minister Vaughan Johnson announced that the state government was no longer considering gazetting Quaid Road as a State-controlled road because it would put additional pressure on the Captain Cook Highway and divert funding away from upgrades of other parts of State road network in Far North Queensland. [ [http://www.ginfo.pl/more/350471,GOVERNMENT,NOT,CONSIDERING,QUAID,ROAD,GAZETTAL.html Government not considering Quaid Road Gazettal] - www.Ginfo.cpl (Originally published on 17-09-1997)]

Following the heavy rains of Cyclone Rona in April 1999, parts of the Quaid Road fell into the World Heritage listed Hartley’s Creek. Later in the same year the Wet Tropics Management Authority repaired the road. [ECOTONE Newsletter of the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre Inc. Vol 19, Number 3, December 1999 - http://www.cafnec.org.au/pdf/Ecotone_Vol19_No3.pdf]

During Cyclone Larry in 2006, all road access to the major regional city of Cairns was blocked and the city was isolated from surrounding areas for three days. This was caused by flooding south of the city near Innisfail and landslides near Port Douglas and on the Kuranda Range Highway. After this period of isolation, Tablelands MP Rosa Lee Long proposed that Quaid Road be used as another route to truck food into Cairns and evacuate people but the Queensland State Government again rejected the proposal. [ [http://www.newstext.com.au/docs/TCP/2006/get.jsp?docid=TCP-20060610-1-011-K177253@QLD-CP-2006-2005 Quaid road use rejected] - "The Cairns Weekend Post", 10 June 2006] The Cook Shire Council expressed Council's disappointment with this decision by forwarding a letter to the current Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Paul Lucas. [Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Council of the Shire of Cook held on 17-18-19 July 2006 - http://www.cook.qld.gov.au/council/Minutes/July%202006%20Minutes.pdf]

After the Cairns's tsunami scare of April 2007, this idea has become more popular with the city's population once again.

References