Duluth-Superior Area Roads Washed Away In Flooding
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The cleanup continues right now in parts of Minnesota and western Wisconsin after a weekend of severe storms.
After days of heavy rain and wind, the damage left behind is devastating. Several roads are washed-out. Crews say this will not be an easy fix, and could take weeks if not months.
Highway 23 was one of the many roads and bridges washed out in Carlton County, and north of Holyoke was completely impassible. The rainfall was coming so fast and furious, the culverts simply couldn't handle all that flow.
Chopper footage showed what a 10- to 12-inch rainfall does to normally placid rivers and creeks.
In south Superior, the Nemadji River was running wild, spilling over banks, spreading out for blocks.
Carlton County alone has at least 113 road damage reports. Pavement and guardrails buckled, gravel roads washed away, according to the county sheriff's office.
Resident Robert Calhoun can't cut his hay. Both fields and front lawns are standing water.
"A lot of roads washed out, just down the road was a big washout," Calhoun said. "Got about 10 inches. The county guy said some places were up to a foot."
Many here are still recovering from flood damage that occurred exactly six years ago. With so many detoured roads, Sheriff Kelly Lake once again is pleading for patience.
"We want them to heed the barriers and don't drive around them. I know it's inconvenient to drive around, but it's for their own safety," Lake said.
U.S. Highway 53, the main highway feeding southeast Superior, is just now partially reopened.
The good news is that the river levels are expected to continue to recede through midweek, coupled with dry weather until Friday. That will give homeowners and highway crews a chance to regain the upper hand.
