Major settlements Wangetti, Southedge Dam | Length 32 km (20 mi) | |
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Tegan on the fire trail off quaid road
Quaid Road is a 32-kilometre-long (20 mi) 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.
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Route description
Quaid Road links Wangetti on the coast just north of Cairns, to Southedge, just south of Mount Molloy, over a distance of 32 kilometres (20 mi). The road is currently closed to public access and has a number of locked gates along its route.
History
Ever since its construction as a private road, 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.
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. 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.
After the Cairns's tsunami scare of April 2007, this idea has become more popular with the city's population once again.