A recent analysis has explored seven potential strategies to enhance St Marys Pass, with estimated costs reaching as high as $2.7 billion.
This vital road serves as a key connection between Tasmania’s east coast and the cities of Hobart and Launceston, and it was temporarily shut down for several months in 2022 due to a significant landslip.
The federal government has pledged $10 million to evaluate the scope and development of the project.
During a three-month period at the end of 2022, St Marys Pass was closed, impacting local communities by disrupting emergency services, essential goods delivery, and tourism during peak season.
A new report from Building Tasmania has disclosed cost estimates and gathered community input on seven proposed solutions to address the road’s ongoing issues.
However, the report indicates that no single option can fully resolve the existing challenges.
St Marys Pass, which navigates through 6 kilometers of Tasmania’s rugged landscape, was constructed nearly 200 years ago by convicts. The government has recognized that the narrow road is no longer suitable for contemporary traffic demands.
The department evaluated various approaches, including maintaining the current road, upgrading it, and five alternative routes. The financial implications ranged from $50 million to $2.7 billion.
In their assessment, Building Tasmania noted that the project faces significant financial and engineering obstacles. “The assessment does not identify a single solution that fully resolves the challenges associated with St Marys Pass,” the report states, highlighting the road’s history of slope instability, including landslides and rockfalls, which necessitate frequent maintenance to keep it operational.
The report also captured community feedback regarding the proposed options, with concerns expressed about the town’s future if a new bypass were established. Some community members advocated for preserving the existing route for use as a walking and cycling track if an alternative road were constructed.
The ‘blue route,’ which would redirect traffic along an existing TasNetworks power line to the north of the current road, garnered the most favorable response from the community, with an estimated cost of $1 billion.
Building Tasmania endorsed the blue route as the “shortest and straightest option,” noting that it is already cleared of vegetation and would not require closing the existing road during construction.
Nevertheless, the report indicated that the ‘purple route,’ which involves maintaining and upgrading the existing road over a decade, offered the “strongest overall outcome” when considering cost, community backing, and feasibility.
Kerry Vincent, Tasmania’s Infrastructure Minister, remarked to Dan Taylor on ABC Northern Tasmania Drive that enhancing the existing road at St Marys Pass is the “most sensible” choice among the seven evaluated options. This option is also the least expensive, estimated at $50–70 million, and received significant public support.
“The assessment suggests that a targeted upgrade program for the existing road strikes the best balance among resilience, cost-effectiveness, community acceptance, feasibility, and environmental impact,” the report explains.
The federal government has so far allocated $10 million to the initiative; however, additional funding will be necessary to advance the project.
Mick Tucker, the Mayor of Break O’Day, emphasized the urgency of implementing a long-term solution for St Marys Pass, criticizing the ongoing patchwork repairs as wasteful. “If we consolidated our efforts and funding into one comprehensive project, it would be cost-effective in the long run,” he stated.
Tucker underscored the road’s critical role in connecting major Tasmanian hubs, Hobart and Launceston, to the east coast, stating, “Promoting tourist attractions like Bay of Fires and Wineglass Bay is futile if access remains a challenge.”
While he appreciates the state’s governmental attention to the issue, he stressed the importance of taking decisive action. “Reports are helpful,” he commented, “but when will we actually implement solutions to alleviate the persistent issues facing St Marys Pass?”
State Infrastructure Minister Kerry Vincent expressed support for the report’s conclusions and dismissed the two options estimated at $1 billion and $2.7 billion as excessive. “That is an astronomical cost when we have an existing road that can be improved at a much lower expense,” he remarked, advocating for alterations to the current route as the most logical approach.
Vincent rejected claims that the project would stall, stating, “I genuinely believe we must expedite this process. The community’s passion, as evidenced by Mayor Tucker, ensures that this issue will not be overlooked.”
Federal Infrastructure Minister Madeleine King affirmed that her government would continue collaborating with the Tasmanian government on funding allocation, as well as future planning and design efforts related to the project.
