Project Details
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The Tarkine Road is being constructed by the Department of Infrastructure Energy and Resources (DIER). The project is an initiative of the Tasmanian Government and a robust approvals process involving federal, state and local government requirements will be followed. State government approvals include overall impact on threatened species, aboriginal and european heritage. Federal government approval is governed by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. As part of the process DIER will be engaging experts to assess the impact of the proposed Tarkine Road on the region's populations of Tasmanian Devils and Quolls, from both a roadkill and Devil Facial Tumour Disease perspective. To gain approval for the project through the assessment process the following tasks will be undertaken:
DIER will develop environmental documents that take into account the road setting, impact, and any mitigation measures required. The Department will actively monitor progress of the project to make sure that all environmental undertakings are fulfi lled during construction. Construction StagingThe Tarkine Road will be built in three stages:
Hilders Bridge, which crosses the Arthur River at Phantom Valley, was destroyed in the 1980's, and will be constructed as part of the stage 3 works. Tayatea Bridge was destroyed in the 2007 floods. As part of the project, it is proposed that Tayatea Bridge will be rebuilt during stage 1 construction and completed by December 2011. Road UseageAlmost all of the road is being constructed on existing roads and tracks. Most of the roads to the west of Tayatea Bridge have good sight distances. These roads will be sealed to 6m wide and carry mixed traffic, including cars and some trucks. The eastern section from Tayatea Bridge to Myalla Road runs through steeper country where the existing roads are narrower with shorter sight distances and tighter bends. This section will be sealed to 4m wide, subject to load limits and some speed restrictions. Speed LimitsSafe speed limits for the completed road will be worked out once features like corners, hills, potential for oncoming traffic, road width and protection of wildlife have all been considered. The introduction of lower dusk to dawn speed limits could be included as a way of protecting Road Kill and Devil Facial Tumor Disease native animalsAs with all rural roads in Tasmania, protecting native animals on the Tarkine Road will be important. Assessment and approvals for the project will include detailed research into the potential impact of the road on Tasmanian devils and quolls. Road kill: This research will investigate the current rate of road kill in the area, and review previous research on the impact of traffic on road kill. Devil Facial Tumour Disease: The Tarkine area has a large number of Tasmanian devils that have not been affected by the Devil Facial Tumour Disease, so the Department will undertake a study into any possible spread of the disease. The results of the research will lead to the design of measures to protect the animals, possibly including dusk-to-dawn speed-limits, fences, grids and wildlife underpasses. |
Links Documentation
Feedback The Department is keen for feedback on the project in general and the visitor facilities in particular. Also if you have any questions you can contact the project team on: Phone HOTLINE: 1800 056 112 Post: Tarkine Road Project Manager, GPO Box, 936, Hobart 7001. Email: |
