Track should be four-wheel-drive only: Council
BLOOMFIELD TRACK
THE Cook Shire and Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire would be wise to review the Douglas Shire Council’s Statement of Intent (SOI) for local roads before embarking on a $30,000 feasibility study to assess the impact of paving the Bloomfield Track.
The two shires want to improve motorist safety and boost tourism along the 40km dirt highway, which stretches from Cape Tribulation to Wujal Wujal.
According to a statement by Mayor Julia Leu and issued to Newsport, Council resolved a Statement of Intent for Local Roads of Regional Significance in July 2016.
“The SOI resolved to keep the Cape Tribulation to Bloomfield River Road, or ‘Bloomfield Track’, as a four-wheel drive adventure road.
“The Bloomfield Track is one of Australia’s most scenic and challenging drives, which Council is determined to preserve as an iconic tourist route.”
Leu said the vision to maintain the 4WD-only status will improve safety for users and reduce environmental impacts. The road is recognised as containing the area of highest environmental and cultural value and as such requires the greatest protection.
“The existing road geometry and infrastructure is suitable for 4WD use. Sealing the track will not be sufficient to make it an all-weather road. It would require realignment, total reconstruction and substantial earthworks that would lead to the destruction of world heritage rainforest.
“For example very steep range crossings, including Cowrie and Donovan, would need to be excavated and flattened,” she said.
The existing gravel road is about 31km long. If one metre of vegetation was cleared from the full length of the road, then 3.1 hectares of rainforest would be cleared.
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