News
Roads closed in area
Scott Wagar
06/18/2013
Individuals in the local area who are planning to travel in the Kramer, Upham and Granville area might have to consider taking a different route due to roads and bridges that are underwater, or, close to having water overflow, in these areas.
“It’s a rain event. Mother Nature is kind of being cruel to us,” said David Medalen, county commissioner of McHenry County, and road supervisor for McHenry County’s third district. “We were in pretty good shape this spring. The water never went over the roads and bridges with the snow melt or thaw this spring, but then we got 10 to 14 inches in the Souris River Valley and that is what caused all the flooding going on now.”
Two weekends ago, water from the Mouse River began flowing over the roadway between Upham and Granville shutting down the road and bridge between the two cities.
On Wednesday, the gravel road between Willow City and Upham, along with the Freeman Bridge, was closed down when water from the river surpassed that roadway there.
By Thursday morning, the North Dakota Department of Transportation out of Minot started placing warning signs on the refuge between Kramer and Upham warning people to be careful of the possibility of water being on the road.
Medalen stated the water that is currently standing over the roadways, and threatening Highway 14 between Kramer and Upham, could stay in a flood stage for three to five days.
The flooding that is going through the refuge area is coming from Towner, which has also experienced flood waters in its area. However, on Friday, the water in Towner had started to drop
If it doesn’t rain, the water should go below flood stage.
Medalen believes that if Highway 14 isn’t flooded by early this week, it will not flood.
The water that is presently flowing in the Kramer and Upham area will make its way north in the Mouse River to Highway 5, but it is not expected to flood the roadway or Newburg bridge.
“It shouldn’t get that high,” Medalen said. “It will stay below that.”