The Kennedy Highway is a highway in northern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. It runs as National Route 1 for approximately 243 km from Smithfield, on the northern outskirts of

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

, to the

Gulf Developmental Road Gulf Developmental Road is an Australian highway linking the Cairns and Normanton regions in northern Queensland, Australia. It is the only sealed (asphalt) road linking these two regions. In the east, the road begins at an unnamed junction o ...

in the vicinity of Forty Mile Scrub and Undara Volcanic national parks (at Minnamoolka, about 40 kilometres south of

Mount Garnet Mount Garnet is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mount Garnet had a population of 430 people. Geography Various small communities populate the area around Mount Garnet. These include Tableland ...

). South of this junction, the road continues as the Kennedy Developmental Road (State Highway 62) to

Boulia Boulia () is an outback town and locality in the Shire of Boulia, Queensland, Australia. In the , Boulia had a population of 301 people. Boulia is the administrative centre of the Boulia Shire, population approximately 600, which covers an area ...

about 936 kilometres away, via

Hughenden Hughenden may refer to: *Hughenden, Queensland, a town in Australia *Hughenden, Alberta, a village in central Alberta, Canada *Hughenden Valley Hughenden Valley (formerly called Hughenden or Hitchendon) is an extensive village and civil parish in ...

. West of the junction, National Route 1 continues as the

to Normanton.

Route description

From Smithfield, the highway climbs up into the

Atherton Tableland The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. The principal river flowing across the plateau is the Barron River. It was dammed to form an irrigation reservoir named Lake Tina ...

before heading in a general south-westerly direction to the aforementioned junction. The highway is mostly two-lanes. Major towns on, or just off, the Kennedy Highway include Smithfield, Kuranda,

Mareeba Mareeba is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba in Far North Queensland, Australia. Between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Tablelands Region. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ''meeting of the waters'' ...

, Atherton,

Ravenshoe Ravenshoe ( ) is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Ravenshoe had a population of 1,400 people. Geography Ravenshoe is on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland. It is located south w ...

and

. Past Mount Garnet, the Kennedy Highway has several long sections of single lane bitumen. The section between The Lynd Roadhouse junction at Conjuboy and Hughenden is mostly unsealed and is also known as the Hann Highway. For a distance of more than 100 km, from the crossing on the

Diamantina River The Diamantina River is a major river located in Central West Queensland and the far north of South Australia. The river was named by William Landsborough in 1866 for Lady Diamantina Bowen (née Roma), wife of Sir George Bowen, the first Govern ...

to a point southwest of Middleton, the Kennedy Developmental Road passes across a roughly circular zone measuring some across that has been identified by

Geoscience Australia Geoscience Australia is an agency of the Australian Government. It carries out geoscientific research. The agency is the government's technical adviser on all aspects of geoscience, and custodian of the geographic and geological data and knowl ...

as a crustal anomaly, the

Diamantina River ring feature The Diamantina River ring feature is a geomorphic feature that consists of a conspicuous near-360° circular drainage pattern that forms the headwaters of the Diamantina River. It is centred near the Woodstock Station west of Winton, Channel Co ...

. Proof is currently lacking as to the cause, but it is believed likely that the anomaly was caused by an asteroid strike that happened about 300 million years ago.

Development proposal

Two northern councils ( Etheridge and

Flinders Flinders may refer to: Places Antarctica * Flinders Peak, near the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula Australia New South Wales * Flinders County, New South Wales * Shellharbour Junction railway station, Shellharbour * Flinders, New South Wa ...

) have proposed development of the Hann Highway which would allow for the transport of products from

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...

to markets in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

considerably quicker than via existing coastal routes which have rougher terrain and are sometimes impassable due to floods.

Northern Australia Roads Program upgrades

The

Northern Australia Roads Program Northern Australia Roads Program is a suite of projects designed to deliver upgrades to high priority roads in northern Australia. In 2016 the Australian Government announced 19 projects to be funded under this program, and in 2020 another was add ...

announced in 2016 included two projects for the Kennedy Developmental Road.

Road widening

The project for widening a section of road from a one-lane seal to a two-lane seal between Mount Garnet and The Lynd was completed in early 2018 at a total cost of $3.3 million.

Road upgrading

The project for upgrading sections of the road between The Lynd and Hughenden was completed in early 2020 at a total cost of $47.9 million.

Roads of Strategic Importance upgrades

The

Roads of Strategic Importance Roads of Strategic Importance (ROSI) is a $5.8 billion initiative of the Australian Government designed to help connect regional businesses to local and international markets, and to better connect regional communities. The source for this article ...

initiative, last updated in March 2022, includes the following projects for the Kennedy Developmental Road.

Corridor upgrade

A lead project to upgrade the Queensland section of the Tennant Creek to Townsville corridor, including sections of the Barkly and

Highways, the Kennedy Developmental Road and surrounding state and council roads, at an estimated cost of $250 million, was in the planning stage in 2020.

Progressive sealing

A project for progressive sealing of a section of the Kennedy Developmental Road between The Lynd and Hughenden at a cost of $50 million is planned to be completed by mid-2023. This project is targeted for "early works" by the Queensland Government.

Other upgrades

Strengthen and widen between Winton and Boulia

A project to strengthen and widen about of the road (Outback Way) between Winton and Boulia, at a cost of $4.825 million, was completed in September 2020.

Bridge upgrade planning

A project to plan the upgrade of the Barron River bridge, at a cost of $2.1 million, was to be completed in late 2022.

Intelligent Transport System

A project to install Intelligent Transport System (ITS) treatments on Kuranda Range Road, at a cost of $30 million, was due to completed by late 2022.

Targeted road safety improvements

A project to provide targeted road safety improvements between Mareeba and Tolga, at a cost of $37.5 million, was due for completion in mid 2022.

Road safety enhancement works

A works program of six projects to provide road safety enhancements between Kuranda and Mareeba, at a cost of $45 million, was expected to complete in early 2023.

Major intersections

References

{{Road infrastructure in Queensland Highways in Queensland Far North Queensland Highway 1 (Australia) Central West Queensland