Arabic version: خيارات تطوير ممر سانت ماريز تواجه تساؤلات بشأن التمويل
According to ABC News, residents on Tasmania’s east coast are calling for urgent changes to St Marys Pass, citing risks from large trucks, rockfalls and landslips on the winding six-kilometre road linking St Marys with the coast.
Scamander resident and former Burnie mayor Sandra French said she feared she could “become a statistic” without changes. She described rock falling behind her vehicle on one trip and recalled pulling over after a truck came close to her car. French said heavy vehicles should have their own route, arguing the secondary roads were built for “oxen and a cart”.
St Marys resident Carmel Sullivan said she tenses up while using the pass following whiplash from an earlier car accident. She said visitors from the mainland had described the road as terrible. The route was closed for three months in late 2022 after a major landslip, affecting emergency access, essential goods deliveries and tourism.
Building Tasmania has assessed seven proposals, with estimated costs ranging from $50 million to $2.7 billion. The “blue route”, following an existing TasNetworks power line north of the current road, received the strongest community response. However, the agency backed the “purple route” as the best balance of cost, deliverability, environmental outcomes and community support. That option would maintain and upgrade the existing route over 10 years for $50 million to $70 million.
Infrastructure Minister Kerry Vincent said alterations to the existing road were the most sensible option and indicated the two most expensive proposals were unlikely to proceed. The Australian government has allocated $10 million for upgrades, but funding for a full project remains unclear as the state and federal governments differ over whether the long-standing 80:20 funding ratio or a 50:50 split should apply. Break O’Day mayor Mick Tucker said the pass was vital for goods, medical emergencies and evacuation, warning against a “band-aid solution”.
