River Murray update: Waikerie Ferry to temporarily close at 10am tomorrow

Thursday, 9 February 2023

As River Murray water levels continue to fall, the Waikerie Ferry will be temporarily closed between 10am and 5pm tomorrow (Friday 10 February) to shift the ferry to the lower landing to allow services to continue.

Alternative crossings are available at Kingston bridge (upstream) and Cadell ferry (downstream).

Use of the lower landing ferry will be initially restricted to light vehicles (less than 4.5 tonnes), emergency vehicles and local school buses.

This changeover of cabling and equipment is expected to be completed within the day, with services to resume by 5pm from the lower landing.

Ferry users are asked to please obey all signage and take extra care on Taylorville Road (ferry access road), with some soft sections present on this road – particular within the final approximately 200m approaching the ferry.

While the Department has worked to ensure this temporary ferry closure is as short as possible, longer-term repairs to Taylorville Road will be necessary over the coming months to repair the road surface to its pre-flood condition.

The resumption of services for further vehicle types (including B-Double and heavy mass permitted vehicles) will be dependent on water levels and how Taylorville Road and the adjacent bridge perform under light vehicle traffic over the coming weeks.

The Department thanks ferry users for their patience and will provide a further update on Facebook and Twitter to confirm services have recommenced.

Other ferries

The Department continues to closely monitor water levels at each ferry location and is endeavouring to re-open ferry services as it becomes safe to do so.

Following strong demand for services, a second operator has been stationed at the Lyrup Ferry for the past week - reducing wait times.

Berri Barmera and Remark Paringa Council have also lifted restrictions on heavy vehicles on their connecting ferry roads, allowing the previous 4 tonne weight restriction to be removed for the Lyrup Ferry.

While ferry operators and maintenance staff are doing everything possible to prepare ferries to safely re-open, road access to ferries remains an ongoing barrier to the resumption of services.

Purnong and Morgan are anticipated to be the next ferries to re-open, likely between mid to late-February, however the resumption of services relies on the re-opening of council managed access roads.

Debris clean-up is underway on Purnong Road, while work to remove the levee on Morgan Road protecting Lake Bonney is expected to be completed by the end of next week.

Once these roads have been cleaned, maintenance teams will inspect for visible signs of damage and test the pavement strength to inform when they can be re-opened, including what vehicle restrictions may be necessary. While significant repairs are not anticipated, minor works may need to be undertaken before these roads can be re-opened.

Ferry Road (Wellington Ferry access road) remains inundated and cannot be accessed.

Water has receded on Angus Valley Road (Walker Flat Ferry access road) and the Stott Highway (Swan Reach Ferry access road), with clean-up works beginning today to remove mud and debris. The Swan Reach Ferry landing still remains covered by water and inaccessible.

While inundation is restricting access, visual inspections have shown that there is significant damage to Hunter Road, which is expected to see the Mannum upstream and downstream ferries remain closed beyond February 2023.

The Department is prioritising necessary repairs to State Government managed access roads as the water further recedes and is working closely with local councils to ensure locally managed ferry roads can be re-opened as soon as possible.

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