Call for residents to respect road closures amid flood recovery works

Published on 16 December 2016

While many areas along the Mildura riverfront are reopening this weekend, many other roads and facilities across the district remain inaccessible due to the recent high Murray River levels, despite water levels receding at some locations.

Areas such as Lock 11 and Apex Park remain closed to the public, both for the community’s safety and to ensure these areas are reinstated as quickly as possible.

While water has receded from the Lock 11 car park and access roads, the road pavement remains sodden due to the prolonged flooding and needs time to dry out before it can handle the weight of cars and other vehicles.

Allowing traffic in this area now would cause further damage to the road pavement, requiring costly reconstruction works, which would also delay access to this area.

Apex Park also remains closed to the public due to the recent flooding, which has left tree branches and other debris littered throughout the area.

The area is also a safety hazard with several large trees falling as a result of the soaked ground. Buildings in the Apex Park area also need to be reinstated after being flooded.

Assessments still need to be made as the area dries out to ensure it is safe for the public to enter, including assessments by an arborist. Many sections of the riverfront inundated by flood waters also pose a safety hazard in terms of falling trees and need to be assessed.

There are numerous roads throughout the municipality that either remain closed or subject to traffic control. These include:

Roads leading to the Murray River between Apex Park and Pump Hill at Merbein are closed. These roads need time to dry out before they are accessible to the public.
Rudds Road near Nangiloc is subject to traffic control and limited to one lane and vehicles no heavier than five tonnes.
A section of Barko Road at Iraak remains closed indefinitely until water recedes.
The Old Mail Road between Ned’s Corner and Renmark remains under water and is inaccessible.
A section of Kulkyne Way on the approach to the Hattah Kulkyne National Park remains under water and needs time to dry out. A detour is in place at Brown Road.
Walking tracks along the Murray River between the nursery turn-off and Apex Park will remain closed during the Christmas period due to some sections collapsing.

Closer to Mildura’s city centre, sections of roads including Flora and Regina Avenues and Harbourside Way near the Mildura Marina, remain closed.

Council’s General Manager Development Mandy Whelan urged the community to be mindful that while river levels have receded and many areas are being reopened, there are still numerous facilities and roads that remain closed.

“We are receiving numerous reports of drivers simply driving around ‘road closed’ signs and travelling along roads that aren’t ready to handle the weight of vehicles,” Ms Whelan said.

“Because these roads are still wet, these vehicles are breaking through the surface and destroying the sub-pavement, which will ultimately require costly reconstruction works.

“This practice is not only potentially causing serious damage to our road network and adding significant cost to our maintenance budget, but further delaying the reopening of these roads for the rest of the community.

“People need to respect the road signage that has been erected, not just for their own safety, but due to the potential cost to ratepayers.

“Council is constantly monitoring facilities and roads impacted by the recent high river levels and is working as quickly as possible to reopen them, however these efforts are being hampered by a small proportion of the public who are doing the wrong thing.”

Ms Whelan said Council is developing a schedule of works to address affected areas, but warned some areas may not be opened for several weeks, urging the community to be patient.

Several access points to bushland areas and facilities, such as the Red Cliffs and Bruce’s Bend boat ramps and Psyche Pumps may also be affected. For more information on these areas please contact Parks Victoria.

Media enquiries
Ben Piscioneri
p) (03) 5018 8689
e) ben.piscioneri@mildura.vic.gov.au