Traffic control Cairns
In short: East Coast Traffic Control runs traffic control in Cairns from a depot at Hannam Street, Bungalow, led by Area Manager Mark. We supply traffic controllers, TMR compliant traffic management plans and traffic guidance schemes for roadworks, civil, utility, event and storm recovery work across Far North Queensland, including the Captain Cook Highway and Bruce Highway corridors.
- Road authority
- TMR Far North Queensland District, Cairns Regional Council, Douglas Shire Council, Mareeba Shire Council, Tablelands Regional Council and Cassowary Coast Regional Council
- Also covering
- Cairns City, Smithfield, Trinity Beach, Palm Cove, Redlynch, Edmonton, Gordonvale, Mareeba, Atherton, Kuranda, Port Douglas, Mossman, Innisfail, Tully
What traffic control in Cairns looks like
Cairns work splits into three kinds of job. The first is the big state corridor project: multi-year highway duplications where the traffic guidance scheme changes every few weeks as the works move. The second is the day job on council streets, Ergon power works, water mains and footpath upgrades, where the challenge is keeping shops open and school zones safe. The third is the wet season, when the Captain Cook Highway, the Kuranda Range and the Bruce Highway south of Gordonvale flood or close and someone has to hold the closure points while crews clear debris.
We have been doing all three from the same Bungalow depot for years. Our crews know the difference between a 60 km/h stretch of Sheridan Street in peak hour and a 100 km/h run on the Bruce Highway near Edmonton, and we plan each site to the Queensland MUTCD Part 3 and TMR's Traffic and Road Use Management (TRUM) manual, because that is what the TMR inspector will check against.
Roads and road authorities around Cairns
Who approves your traffic management depends on who owns the road. The Captain Cook Highway, the Bruce Highway, the Cairns Western Arterial Road, the Kennedy Highway up the Kuranda Range and the Gillies Range Road are state-controlled roads managed by TMR's Far North Queensland District. Local streets belong to Cairns Regional Council, or to Douglas Shire, Mareeba Shire, Tablelands Regional or Cassowary Coast Regional Council once you leave the city.
For a state road we prepare the traffic guidance scheme to TMR's format and lodge it with the TMR permit where the works need one. For a council road we work to the council's own permit and notification conditions. Many jobs touch both, for example a water main crossing from a council street onto the highway. We sort out which approvals apply when we scope the job, so you are not finding out on day one. See traffic management plans and permits and road occupancy for how that works.
Who we have worked for in Cairns
Two major TMR highway projects on our project list are Cairns projects. On the Cairns Western Arterial Road duplication, a $300 million TMR project delivered by Albem Constructions, we provided traffic management for the four-lane upgrade between Redlynch Connector Road and the Captain Cook Highway, the duplicated rail overpass at Redlynch and the duplicated Kamerunga Bridge over the Barron River. On Smithfield Bypass Stage 1, a $350 million TMR project by the Highways Constructions and Albem joint venture, we managed traffic for the 3.8 km bypass east of the Captain Cook Highway between the Yorkeys Knob roundabout and McGregor Road.
Both jobs meant long-running schemes on 80 to 100 km/h roads with daily changes, night shifts and heavy haulage, which is the kind of work our Cairns crews are built for. Alongside those we do the steady run of council, utility and private civil work across the city and the Northern Beaches.
How coverage works from the Bungalow depot
Our Cairns depot is at Shed 7, 10-12 Hannam Street, Bungalow, a few minutes from the CBD and the Bruce Highway. Mark is the Area Manager and the person who answers the phone, scopes your job and puts the crew together. The depot carries signs, cones, portable traffic signals, VMS boards and utes, and the crews are local, so a Smithfield or Gordonvale start is a normal morning, not a mobilisation.
Further out we travel. We regularly cover Mareeba and the Atherton Tablelands, Port Douglas and Mossman, and the Cassowary Coast through Innisfail and Tully. For those sites we confirm travel and start times when we quote, rather than promising a response time we have not checked against the crew list that week. Our depot network runs 24/7, so night works and after-hours call-outs are quoted the same way.
What to send for a fast Cairns quote
- Site address or the road name and chainage, and whether it is a TMR or council road
- Start date, expected duration, and day, night or both
- The work being done (asphalt, excavation, crane lift, power works, event) and plant on site
- Whether you already have a TMP or TGS, or need us to design one
- Lane, shoulder or footpath closures you expect, and any signalised intersections within the site
- Site contact and the name of your principal contractor or council officer
Jobs near Cairns
Cairns Western Arterial Road duplication, Redlynch Connector Road to Captain Cook HighwayAlbem Constructions / Cairns Western Arterial Road, Redlynch Connector Road to Captain Cook Highway, Cairns QLDRead the job
Smithfield Bypass Project Stage 1, CairnsHighways Constructions and ALBEM Constructions joint venture / Captain Cook Highway, Smithfield to Yorkeys Knob, Cairns QLDRead the jobWhat clients say
Century Cranes have used Bruce and the team at East Coast Traffic for many years we rely on them for everything traffic control, from the Traffic Management Plan to the crew being there at all hours of the day and night. These guys have NEVER let us down.
Common questions
Who approves traffic control on the Captain Cook Highway or Bruce Highway in Cairns?
Both are state-controlled roads, so the traffic guidance scheme and any road works permit go through TMR's Far North Queensland District. Cairns Regional Council approves works on local streets. If your site spans both, you need both approvals. We prepare the TGS to TMR's requirements and tell you which permits apply when we scope the job.
Does ECTC have a depot in Cairns, or do crews travel from Townsville?
We have a staffed depot at Hannam Street, Bungalow with its own Area Manager, Mark, local crews and equipment. Townsville is a separate depot. For large or long jobs the two depots can share crews, but day-to-day Cairns work is run and staffed from Cairns.
Can you cover the Tablelands, Port Douglas and Innisfail?
Yes. Mareeba, Atherton, Kuranda, Port Douglas, Mossman, Innisfail and Tully are all serviced from the Cairns depot. For those sites we confirm travel time and start time when we quote, and for multi-day work we can keep a crew based near the site rather than driving in each day.
What happens to a booked job if a cyclone or flood closes the road?
We talk to you before the event, not after. If a cyclone watch is issued we confirm whether the works go ahead, stand crews down safely, and stay available for closure points and detours while the network reopens. Our Cairns crews did exactly that after ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper in December 2023.
Can you design the traffic management plan as well as supply controllers?
Yes. Our design team prepares traffic management plans and traffic guidance schemes to Queensland MUTCD Part 3 and TMR's TRUM manual, then the same company implements them on site. That matters on TMR audits, because the people holding the signs know the scheme they are working to.
Do you do night works on Cairns roads?
Yes. Much of our highway work in Cairns has been night shift, including the Cairns Western Arterial Road and Smithfield Bypass projects. Night works need lighting, retroreflective signage, reduced speed zones and extra attenuation on high-speed roads, and we scope all of that into the quote. See our night works page.
Need crews in Cairns?
Send the job and your local Area Manager takes it from there, day or night.