WASHED OUT! Roads take brunt of melting snow, heavy rain
by Peter Jakey—Managing Editor
Epic rain early Tuesday morning, coupled with melting snow and already flooded areas spelled yet another natural disaster for Presque Isle County residents with massive flooding causing the washouts and closures of several roads.
The most notable road closure occurred on one of Presque Isle County’s most traveled roads, M-68 over the bridge at the Little Ocqueoc River.
The culvert failed and the road collapsed, forcing long detours for commuters needing to get to work or school on the other side of the county and beyond.
The repairs to M-68 will be handled by the Michigan Department of Transportation, because it is a major trunk line, and could take up to an estimated two to four weeks.
Cliff Tollini, chairman of the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners, has signed a local state of emergency declaration. Emergency manager Tim Pritchard was going to open the emergency operations center Wednesday at the Belknap Township Hall as a 24-hour shelter.
The storm that rolled across northeast lower Michigan from the early morning hours of Tuesday from 1 to 8 a.m. brought as much as 2 inches of additional rain, and according to Presque Isle County Road Commission (PICRC) superintendent/manager David Kowalski, the rivers and streams that usually handle the spring runoff could not handle any more water.
“The swamps were already full,” said Kowalski Tuesday afternoon. “All the areas that were already full and we threw 2 more inches on it.”
OTHER ROADS that have collapsed are in the Trout River Watershed and include Quade Highway; Heythaler Highway; Klee Road; and County Road 451; and are closed. South Porter Road, south of M-68 near Onaway had water over the road and was closed.
Other areas were water had breached roads were Herron Road off McIntosh; Bolton Road, from North Grand Lake Road to 634 Highway; County Road 441 to U.S.-23 and U.S.-23 at Thompson’s Harbor State Park.
“What happens is the water undermines the asphalt, and once it does that, it pulls the gravel up and then it collapses and then takes the easiest path of resistance,” Kowalski said.
“We don’t know if it is going to fail or not, we did not want it to fail in the middle of the night,” added Kowalski.
It was much too early to come up with estimates to rebuild the roads.
IN THE case of Quade Highway, right at Klee Road, it was the only way in and out for residents who live there. However, the PICRC has received permission from a landowner to clear out a two-track that will allow people to come and go.
“The county is monitoring the water situations and the impacts of the high waters on roads, rivers, lakes and ditches,” said Pritchard. “We are urging residents to stay off roads when possible and use extreme caution if needing to travel. Many roads across the county have standing water, some deeper than others, and often deeper than appearing.
“I am sure in the days ahead we will be adding and removing roads from this list. Also, I realize there are other roads in the county that have water on them that are not on this list.
Pritchard added that emergency service workers know basements and homes throughout the county are having water issues.
In the city of Rogers City, the collection system at the wastewater treatment plant was overwhelmed for a time Tuesday, but according to city manager Joe Hefele, “the levels came down enough and we are back to treating normal,” he said Tuesday afternoon.
The department of public works staff is making its way from main-to-main to ensure the continued flow of water.
PRESQUE ISLE Electric Gas Cooperative issued a press release to warn that washouts have exposed gas mains, making them vulnerable to damage.
“If a line is compromised, it may be necessary to shut off gas service to larger sections of our system to ensure public safety,” the press release states. “Also, please stay at least 20 feet away from any exposed gas or underground electric lines and call 800-423-6634 to report them to dispatchers.
