Given the economic importance of transport on this route, a longstanding problem was the flooding of the
Georgina River immediately west of
Camooweal in Queensland. As the water levels in the Georgina River vary enormously from being completely dry to flooding, the Barkly Highway bridge over the Georgina River was often unusable for many days due to flooding, with road trains and other heavy vehicles having to wait weeks before it was safe to cross. To alleviate these problems, the Georgina River Bridge was officially opened on 20 December 2002 by Senator
Ron Boswell and
Steve Breadhauer, Minister for Transport in the
Queensland Government. It replaced the previous bridge which was approximately south, and is both higher and longer so traffic on the highway can continue to cross during floods. The bridge is long and is accompanied by a highway deviation west from Camooweal. The bridge uses an unusual curved design to avoid placing pylons into the river bed which is culturally significant to the local Dugalunji people, who call the new bridge
Ilaga Thuwani meaning
The Camping Ground of the Rainbow Serpent. File:Barkly Highway 0116.svg|Barkly Highway in Queensland and the Northern Territory (green and black) == List of towns along the Barkly Highway ==