St Marys Pass Options Assessment report released

The St Marys Pass Options Assessment has been released, detailing potential improvements between the Esk Main Road, St Marys township and the Tasman Highway.

The investigations assessed seven options for improving the long-term resilience of the route, including maintaining the existing route, upgrading the existing route, and five alternative route options.

Each option was evaluated through detailed technical, environmental, and cost assessments, alongside extensive engagement with the community and key stakeholders, to better understand the benefits, challenges, and overall impacts.

The assessment found all options face significant challenges due to the steep and mountainous landscapes and ongoing risks of landslides. Some options, including the community's preferred alternate route, are unlikely to progress due to their high cost, with estimates more than $1 billion.

​The release of this strategic report marks the completion of the options assessment phase of the project.

The findings will be used to inform whether any options progress to further planning and design work, which would be required before any construction takes place.

The Australian Government has committed $10 million to improve the route’s resilience. These findings will help inform discussions between the Australian and Tasmanian Governments regarding the allocation of this funding and any future planning and design work.

The community and other key stakeholders will have further opportunities to provide feedback if the project progresses to future stages and funding is acquired for construction.

The report is available here.

Quotes attributable to Kerry Vincent, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport:

“The St Marys Pass Options Assessment report is an important step in identifying the best option for improving the route between the St Marys township and the Tasman Highway,” Minister Vincent said.

“We carried out extensive research on each of the proposed options, including a range of technical, environmental, and cost assessments to fully understand the benefits and challenges of each option.

“While the assessment showed there are no easy options due to the challenging terrain and environmental conditions of each route, the report’s findings will be highly valuable in informing any potential future phases of the project.”