River Murray flood update: Bookpurnong Road and Lyrup ferry temporary closure

Wednesday, 23 November 2022

Bookpurnong Road, between Berri and Kemp Road, will be closed to all heavy vehicle traffic and restricted to one lane for light vehicles from 7pm this Friday due to rising water levels encroaching on the road.

From 7pm Friday, 25 November, heavy vehicles over 4.5 tonnes will not be permitted to use Bookpurnong Road to limit damage to the pavement surface and ensure the road can remain open to light vehicle traffic for as long as possible.

Signage will be installed to advise heavy vehicle operators of the detour route, which will be via Stanitzki Road to Sturt Highway, through Paringa and Renmark and onto Old Sturt Highway, Berri.

This section of Bookpurnong Road will remain open to light vehicles travelling in one direction at a time under traffic light control. Traffic management staff will be on site to guide light vehicles safely down the centre of the road and monitor queues.

Road users are asked to be patient and factor queues into their travel plans. Please avoid travelling at peak times if possible.

A 60km/h speed limit continues to apply on this section of Bookpurnong Road, however please always drive to the conditions and be mindful of other road users and traffic controllers on site.

The Department is endeavouring to keep all roads open as long as it is safe to do so, with teams undertaking regular assessments of Bookpurnong Road and other low-lying roads in the region.

Road closure and detour signage will be deployed to any affected roads to keep all road users safe as water levels rise.

River Murray ferries

Works at Waikerie to change the ferry cabling to the higher ramp have been successfully completed, with services resuming at 3pm today.

Use of this higher ferry landing will initially be restricted to light vehicles, the local school buses, and emergency vehicles only with single lane operations. Access will be increased to double lane operations/all vehicle types (excluding B-Double and heavy mass permitted vehicles) once the water depth is above 10 metres AHD.

To prepare for flooding and rising water levels, Lyrup ferry will be temporarily closed from 9am to 12pm on Thursday, 24 November. This crossing is then anticipated to close again for flood conditions during the first week of December. Alternative river crossings are at Paringa Bridge (upstream) and Berri bridge (downstream).

All other ferry services are currently operating as normal (as of 5:30pm, 23 November), however it is expected some services will need to be closed as flows and water levels continue to rise.

To find the status of all River Murray ferries, as well as latest information and advice during River Murray floods, visit www.sa.gov.au/floods.

More information

Conditions can change quickly and roads and ferries may have to be closed at short notice. Locals and river-goers are reminded not to swim, ride, walk or drive through high flow waterways.

For the latest information on road closures and detours please visit www.traffic.sa.gov.au

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport will continue provide updates via Facebook and Twitter, including details of any road closures (including ferry closures), detours and safety advice.

The latest marine safety advice is available at www.marinesafety.sa.gov.au/river-murray-high-flows-2022-marine-safety-advice.

For more on River Murray high flows, please visit the State Government’s dedicated website at www.sa.gov.au/floods.