A RECENT spate of traffic accidents on the Kuranda Range has sparked renewed calls for an upgrade of that section of the Kennedy Highway.

In the past four days, separate crashes forced the road to be closed temporarily, causing long delays for motorists.

On Monday, a 35-year-old woman had to be cut from her car following a single vehicle crash, which forced the closure of both lanes of the Kennedy Highway.

In another incident last week, a man had to flee his car after it caught fire on the same stretch of road amid fire crews being held up in traffic getting to the car.

Kuranda resident and business owner, Bob Morrison, who has lived in the area for the past 37 years, is among a growing number of locals calling for the road to be fixed.

He said he was concerned the surface of the road was contributing to the increase in crashes.

"It seems to be happening more often and I don't think it's just driver error," he said.

"We need to be able to drive up and down, not risking life and limb; it's a serious problem. They can reduce the speed limit, but the road surface just isn't up to it."

Mr Morrison said the constant road closures were also impacting on local businesses that depend heavily on the tourism trade.

"It reflects on trade to the whole Tablelands area," he said.

"We're in the tourist business and when they can't come up to Kuranda, they just go up to Port Douglas."

Barron River MP Michael Trout plans to meet police and Mains Roads to discuss ways to improve the route.

"As a priority, we need to examine the cause or causes of what appears to be a rapid increase in the slipperiness of the Kuranda Range road surface," Mr Trout said.

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