Cairns Ring Road
The road project is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments. Credit: Sylvia Zhou on Unsplash.

The Queensland Government in Australia is planning to upgrade the road between James Street and Airport Avenue as part of stage one early works of the A$359m ($256m) Captain Cook Highway project.

The project is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments.

Australia Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said: “Planning is underway for the James Street and Airport Avenue section, focusing on capacity improvements, with detailed design to begin soon. It is anticipated construction on the first stage of works will start by mid-2021.

“We are continuing to roll out this type of major project nationwide under our $100bn infrastructure investment pipeline, which is supporting local jobs and communities at a time when it’s needed most.”

For this project, the Australian Government has agreed to provide approximately A$287m ($204m) while the Queensland Government committed to offer A$71.8m ($51m).

The Australian Government has announced that the Captain Cook Highway from Cairns CBD to Smithfield is a key section of road infrastructure that links to Cairns Airport and supports freight movements across Far North Queensland.

McCormack explained that the project is expected to benefit commuters in Cairns and Far North Queensland.

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said: “When these works start next year, we’ll have three major road projects collectively worth more than A$1bn underway across Cairns at the same time, employing hundreds of workers.

“Right now, major Queensland cities like Cairns need a reliable supply of projects to support workers and local businesses over the next few years. The A$359m ($256m) Cairns Ring Road project and the almost 400 jobs it will support is a critical part of that.”

The government announced that it will start a ‘Get Involved Survey’ online regarding the development for the public from 3 August until 4 September.