Captain Cook Highway staying open at night for all next month
Shire transport
There will be no Captain Cook Highway night closures in August, but the ongoing works will be expanded to five separate single-lane sections.
The new works program will be restricted to 6am-6pm daily from Monday (August 4), the State Government Transport and Main Roads Department (TMR) said in its latest update.
“TMR has determined five single-lane sections can be implemented while keeping delays within 15 minutes for vehicles passing through all active sites,” a department spokesperson stated.
“While delays are unfortunate, they are sometimes unavoidable.
“By completing more works during the day, the need for future night closures is expected to reduce as the reconstruction program progresses.”
More than 80 sites along the Highway are in need of repair work.
“Operating a drill rig while abseiling is highly complex work,” the TMR spokesperson said.
“Using the slope-mounted drill at this site helps keep reconstruction within a single-lane closure area.”
Meanwhile, TMR will be conducting the third of three trials tomorrow (Tuesday, July 29) driving big trucks along the under-repair road, along with an entourage of support vehicles.
From 9am to 2pm, a 23m B-double, along with pilot vehicles, will be driven along the highway.
TMR Far North District director Darryl Jones told an industry briefing earlier this year he was "targeting late 2026” for the completion of the works, but he also said the damage was found to be a lot worse than initially thought.
TMR asks drivers to be respectful to crew members while they focus on completing works to restore the road and said it will continue to review traffic conditions along the Highway.
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