River Murray update: Bookpurnong Road to re-open to light vehicles at 9am tomorrow

Friday, 10 February 2023

Bookpurnong Road will re-open to light vehicles at 9am tomorrow (Saturday 11 February), following the completion of pavement testing and minor repair works.

Strength testing and bridge structural assessments have confirmed that Bookpurnong Road is safe to be re-opened to vehicles less than 4.5 tonnes, with a 60km/h speed limit in place.

Vehicles over 4.5 tonnes will need to continue to use the existing detour route, which is via Stanitzki Road to Sturt Highway, through Paringa and Renmark and onto Old Sturt Highway, Berri.

While the Department understands this detour is inconvenient, heavy vehicle operators are urged to continue to obey restrictions and not put themselves, other road users or the condition of the road at risk. Traffic management staff and SA Police continue to monitor restrictions and road closures throughout the region.

The decision to re-open initially only to light vehicles will limit any potential damage to the road surface and bridges along the road. This provides an opportunity to assess how the road performs under traffic to ensure that it remains stable and safe after being driven on.

The Department will be inspecting Bookpurnong Road frequently for any defects and failures. Further restrictions or a closure at short notice may be required if defects occur.

The Department continues to plan for the re-opening to heavy vehicles. However, this timing is dependent on how the road performs under light vehicle traffic over the coming weeks and subsequent pavement and bridge assessments.

Road users are urged to stay off the road shoulder which may still be saturated and soft under traffic. Traffic management staff will be onsite, with traffic cones in place to keep vehicles off the shoulder in certain areas.

Road users are also advised to always drive to the conditions and be mindful of other motorists and staff that may be on site.

As the water adjacent to the road continues to recede, arborists have identified a number of trees that may become unstable and could pose a safety risk over the coming months. While the risk is currently low, tree trimming and removal works are expected to commence in the next fortnight.

The re-opening of Bookpurnong Road has been a high priority for the Department, with works to clean and prepare the road surface undertaken in late January 2023 as soon as the water had sufficiently receded.

Longer term resilience works are also currently being scoped to improve the condition of Bookpurnong Road and its ability to withstand future flooding events.

The latest traffic information, including road closures and detours, is available at traffic.sa.gov.au.

The Department continues to provide regular updates on its Facebook and Twitter pages during the flood recovery - including details of any road and ferry re-openings, detours and safety advice.

For the latest information and advice during River Murray floods, visit www.sa.gov.au/floods.