Do we want the Tanami sealed?

Hi JB

It is a fact in this country that with more and more people and more and more road users, road upgrades are something the general public wants and expects. This is not something that will be completed in the short term, and perhaps it will help reduce freight costs to outback areas and communities. Defence may in the end be a driving issue. It will happen eventually.

Extract from article:

"The Tanami Road will serve as a major arterial road connecting freight,
services, defence and tourists in South Eastern Australia with the Kimberley.
Realistically the upgrade to the Tanami Road may not be completed in the
next decade, but if we are to have sustainable growth in the Kimberley we
need to plan now for the key infrastructure required in ten years’ time."

Motherhen

The Chamber of Commerce can hardly wait to see the Winnebago's roll into Hall's Creek.
They are probably eagerly scanning commercial coffee machine catalogues right now.
The Rabbit Flat Roadhouse may even reopen as the "Phoenix Resort & Tavern". LOL

Yes definitely seal it.
But stop all vehicles towing a camper, a caravan etc.
They have to go the other way.......

Gidday

There have been people talking for years about sealing the Great Central Road too ... it'll never happen.

cheers

yes I think it would be good for the people who do not have a 4wd to see our great outback
rgds Peter

John,
I guess we can just look at it another at it another way.

Lets rip up the bitumen on the street where we live. I know I wouldn't like that.

So I guess the locals would like their road sealed. Especially as it is seeing more and more traffic with the consequence being the road falling to bits.

Sooner or later it will be sealed,would not hold my breath though, politicians love to bring forth road infrastructure on a regular basis ,, just recently had all the bigwigs come out our way spruiking that the Torrens Creek rd would be upgraded as the inland route north for when the Bruce H/way is cut ,, yeah right , not $1.00 spent on the last 30klm of dirt at the northern end for the last 4.5 years ,,, 1 new bridge over the creek at the Bowen Downs Junction that instantly became impassable after a lousy 1 inch of rain ,,, Just because you put tar down does not mean the "road" is still not anything more than an outback track ........

Me, I say why not. Makes it easier to get to some fantastic areas but at a projected cost of $5.6 Billion ($500-750K per km) to seal, I think the cost far outweighs any economic benefit in the short, medium and long term. Given the current economic state of federal and state governments, I think there are greater cost pressures coming from education, health and law and order, places where that magnitude of spending could be better utilised.

Actually I reckon any Cost Benefit Analysis would better identify the Great Central Road as an alternative for sealing ahead of the Tanami.

Keep dreaming JB. Not in your or my lifetimes I reckon.

Cheers Mick

G'day John ~ good day folks.

Amazing how different we think in regards to something like the subject of your post, the sealing of the Tanami road.

Yes it is a heavily used route, possibly a vital one for all sorts of reasons, yes it would benefit many people and make trans continental road travel somewhat quicker.

The Pilbara region also has a unsealed highway that is used by tourists, pastoralists, local communities yet it has been unsealed since its construction many decades ago, this highway was also a vital link in the defence of our nation during the second world war.

The Corunna Downs airforce base ~ south of Marble Bar was most likely built and serviced using this "vital" link, this highway, up until the mid 1970's was the main link into the Kimberley region, yet it was not sealed.

Since the rise of the modern day mining industry the highway has seen a massive increase in traffic volume ~ mainly heavy haulage to the various mining operations along this road, it is now deemed imperative that the highway is sealed ~ not for defence ~ not for the locals ~ not for tourism ~ not for the pastoral industry, but for mining.

Some of you may well have driven this Highway ~ it's also called the Marble Bar road.

Safe travels :

So who is going to pay for this taring of the outback and maintenance of the road each big wet will cause major road works the cost will be massive

I do remember some plan to make one central hwy Perth to Sydney for truck many years back sealed and for high speed transport of good

Maybe leaving it dirt but instituting an ongoing grading program would be an option?! Smoothing out the endless corrugations would be a major upgrade even if it wasn't sealed!

is there an election soon?????? must be as we seem to get all sorts of promises no matter how wild and wonderful and then everyone gets excited and then after the election..............nothing - we just wait for the same old promises in the run up to the next one and the one after that and..........rgds

Hiya John,

In your question......who is 'we' ????

Cheers

My thoughts and opinion is YES to seal
But like others I feel this will be at least 10 or more years away when you look at the progress of the central desert road