Crews with the Marshall County Highway Department continue to assess roads after the flood event, but some remain under water and cannot be reviewed. Some roads remain closed due to high water. As of Friday, only 18 roads remain closed or with a high water barricade. Marshall County Highway Supervisor Jason Peters told the Marshall County Commissioners Monday morning that number has dwindled considerably since the waters started to rise significantly on Feb. 20.
“We had 34 closed on the first day, 44 on the second, 14 on the 22nd, one on the 23rd, four on the 26th, and one on the 27th, for a grand total of 98 roads closed,” said Peters.
Peters told the commissioners that crews had to reach out to other jurisdictions to request “high water” and “road closed” signs. Even when they were set out for public safety, some barricades were stolen.
“I just don’t think the people that do that have any inkling of what possibly can be going on on those roads. That was to the point where we had complete wash outs with roads closed and bridges washed out. I don’t know. It’s frustrating.”
Piles of stone were dumped at the end of some roads to ensure that a barricade was available and visible for public safety.
The commissioners will be prosecuting those who are caught stealing any highway barricades or signs.
So far, the highway department has found 18 culverts that need replaced or repaired, 30 roads need some sort of repair, five bridges need attention, and several washed out or rutted dirt roads that will need work. Peters should have pricing for repairs this week. All information can be included for FEMA reimbursement.
The overtime hours total 117 and the number of hours worked to assess roads, culverts and bridges during the flood event totals 1,875.75 hours.
More discussion on road repairs can be heard during this Sunday’s Maximum Impact program at noon on MAX 98.3 FM.
