Karoonda Highway

Karoonda Highway

South Australia
Karoonda Highway; South Australia
	Southwest end Northeast end
Coordinates	35°06′58″S 139°18′25″E / 35.116009°S 139.306968°E (Southwest end); 34°27′09″S 140°34′15″E / 34.452555°S 140.570774°E (Northeast end);
General information
Type	Highway
Length	172 km (107 mi)
Route number(s)	B55 (1998–present)
Major junctions
Southwest end	Old Princes Highway; Murray Bridge, South Australia
	Cameron Highway; Browns Well Highway;
Northeast end	Bookpurnong Road; Loxton, South Australia
Location(s)
Region	Murray and Mallee
Major settlements	Karoonda, Alawoona
Highway system
	Highways in Australia; National Highway • Freeways in Australia; Highways in South Australia; ; ;

Karoonda Highway is a 172-kilometre-long (107 mi)^[1] state-controlled highway in South Australia linking the Murray River towns of Murray Bridge and Loxton.^[3] It was created after local councils called for the renaming of the B55 road route.

Route

Karoonda Highway begins at Murray Bridge East. It heads north-east to the town of Karoonda, and from there, continues on to Alawoona. Thereafter it heads north to Kingston Road, where it turns east to Loxton, its north-eastern terminus. Bookpurnong Road continues on from Loxton, connecting the highway to Berri and the Sturt Highway. Most of the route is close to the former Loxton railway line.

History

In 2006, the local governments in the area, including Loxton Waikerie Council and Karoonda East Murray Council, called for the Loxton to Murray Bridge section of the B55 road route to be named Karoonda Highway, after the major town along the route.^[4]^[5]^[6] The B55 route actually extended past Loxton to Berri, which the councils initially didn't realise. By 2011, the route had been renamed Karoonda Highway from Loxton to Murray Bridge, and Bookpurnong Road north of Loxton to Berri.^[3]

In 2014, Karoonda Highway was rated as one of the worst roads in the states by South Australian motorists.^[7]^[8]

In the mid-2010s, the body of a little girl was found next to the highway and after a few months, authorities stated that the body was that of Khandalyce Pearce.

Major intersections

LGA^[9]	Location^[1]^[3]	km^[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Murray Bridge	Murray Bridge East	0	0.0	Old Princes Highway – Murray Bridge	Southwestern terminus of highway, route B55 continues west along Old Princes Highway through Murray Bridge
Murray Bridge	Burdett	6	3.7	Burdett Road – Mannum
Karoonda East Murray	Kulde, Wynarka	38	24	Kulde Road – Tailem Bend
Karoonda East Murray	Karoonda	62	39	Kulkami Road – Lameroo
Loxton Waikerie	Alawoona	137	85	Cameron Highway – Paruna
	Loxton	169	105	Kingston Road – Kingston On Murray, Waikerie
		172	107	Browns Well Highway (B57 south) – Paruna, Pinnaroo
		172	107	Bookpurnong Road (B55 east) – Berri	Northeastern terminus of highway, route B55 continues east along Bookpurnong Road to Berri
Route transition