Long wait for Mount Spec Road repairs angers Paluma, Hidden Valley communities
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The residents of a small Queensland community that endured extreme flooding are at "breaking point" after being told it could take years to repair a crucial road, a tour operator says.
The record-breaking downpours in February damaged parts of Mount Spec Road, which is the main route into Paluma and the Hidden Valley.
Locals in the two townships have already grown frustrated by the need for an approved permit to use the damaged stretch.
Hidden Valley Cabins operator Kurt Harlow used the road to bus visitors in before the landslips in February.
Alternative routes are time-consuming and are largely only suitable for four-wheel-drives.
Mr Harlow said the damage to the road had led to a drop in visitors and that tourism operators had "reached breaking point".
"There's talks of the Queensland government saying that they want Queensland to be the leader in tourism for 2045," he said.
"It doesn't look that way if they're not going to priorities access in affected areas like us."
He was concerned red tape was delaying the work on Mount Spec Road and questioned whether more traffic should be allowed through.
"There's all these ridiculous policies put in place on how the road is maintained," Mr Harlow said.
"We've had the permit to access the road for the last couple of months, but driving on that road, there's nothing wrong with it at all and there's no reason for them not to allow access for light rigid vehicles."
Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto said action was needed urgently.
"Paluma residents deserve answers," he said.
"If you don't address this problem – not in the coming years or months, but in the coming weeks – there's a real threat that these businesses will not exist."
"We're not talking weeks — it will most certainly be months, if not years," he said.
Mr Mickelberg said work was underway to assess multiple landslips that effectively needed to be tied together with "special geotechnical rods".
"We … need to have the workforce available to do that, " he said.
"We also have to be able to design it all and do all the geotechnical work to ensure that it does meet the needs.
"It's a very complex environment."
Mr Mickelberg said residents and businesses would be updated on the progress of repairs.
A Transport and Main Roads (TMR) spokesperson said two landslip sites on Mount Spec Road posed "serious risk" to road users and construction workers.
"We understand the community’s frustration about access and restoration time frames," the spokesperson said.
"TMR is working as swiftly and safely as possible to restore the road, with geotechnical investigations and slope stabilisation design already underway."
By Gabrielle Becerra Mellet and Baz Ruddick
The record-breaking downpours in February damaged parts of Mount Spec Road, which is the main route into Paluma and the Hidden Valley.
Locals in the two townships have already grown frustrated by the need for an approved permit to use the damaged stretch.
Hidden Valley Cabins operator Kurt Harlow used the road to bus visitors in before the landslips in February.
Alternative routes are time-consuming and are largely only suitable for four-wheel-drives.
Mount Spec Road is the main route into Paluma and the Hidden Valley, which lie outside Townsville. (ABC North Qld: Baz Ruddick)
Mr Harlow said the damage to the road had led to a drop in visitors and that tourism operators had "reached breaking point".
"There's talks of the Queensland government saying that they want Queensland to be the leader in tourism for 2045," he said.
"It doesn't look that way if they're not going to priorities access in affected areas like us."
'Ridiculous policies'
Mr Harlow said other major rain events had washed away large sections of the road, but they were replaced within weeks.He was concerned red tape was delaying the work on Mount Spec Road and questioned whether more traffic should be allowed through.
"There's all these ridiculous policies put in place on how the road is maintained," Mr Harlow said.
There were dozens of landslips along Mount Spec Road during the February floods. (Supplied: Department of Transport and Main Roads)
"We've had the permit to access the road for the last couple of months, but driving on that road, there's nothing wrong with it at all and there's no reason for them not to allow access for light rigid vehicles."
Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto said action was needed urgently.
"Paluma residents deserve answers," he said.
"If you don't address this problem – not in the coming years or months, but in the coming weeks – there's a real threat that these businesses will not exist."
'Months, if not years'
This week state Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said there was no time-frame for repairing the road."We're not talking weeks — it will most certainly be months, if not years," he said.
Mr Mickelberg said work was underway to assess multiple landslips that effectively needed to be tied together with "special geotechnical rods".
Kurt Harlow says parts of the road can still be used. (ABC North Qld: Baz Ruddick)
"We … need to have the workforce available to do that, " he said.
"We also have to be able to design it all and do all the geotechnical work to ensure that it does meet the needs.
"It's a very complex environment."
Mr Mickelberg said residents and businesses would be updated on the progress of repairs.
"We understand the community’s frustration about access and restoration time frames," the spokesperson said.
"TMR is working as swiftly and safely as possible to restore the road, with geotechnical investigations and slope stabilisation design already underway."
By Gabrielle Becerra Mellet and Baz Ruddick
