The U.S. 223 bridge over the River Raisin was reopened in a limited capacity Tuesday afternoon.
Traffic is being restricted to one lane in each direction pending a full inspection of the bridge by inspectors with the Michigan Department of Transportation, according to a news release from Blissfield Village Police Chief Dale Greenleaf.
The bridge was closed early Monday morning due to extensive flooding and near-record water levels in the River Raisin after continuous rain Friday night and Saturday.
Month: June 2015
River Raisin crests at 4 p.m. Monday
By Melissa Burnor
The River Raisin crested about 4 p.m. Monday at Blissfield at a near record level of 686.6 feet above sea level, according to Lenawee County Emergency Management Director Curtis Parsons. Parsons took another reading at 7:30 p.m. and the river had dropped about 3.25 inches.
Water rose quickly Sunday and a log jam formed on the edge of the U.S. 223 bridge. Workers from the Michigan Department of Transportation removed most of the logs Sunday evening before the bridge was shut down. Officials closed the bridge before sunrise Monday morning and it remains closed until water levels lower and an inspection by MDOT that should allow for its reopening later this week.
For more photos and coverage, please see the July 1, 2015, edition of The Advance on newsstands Tuesday afternoon.
U.S. 223 bridge closed as River Raisin floods
Residents of Blissfield are buzzing about “how to get across town” in the wake of Monday morning’s U.S. 223 bridge closure due to the extremely high level of the River Raisin. People on the west are looking for ways to get to the east side and beyond, and vice versa.
Following is the news release issued by Chief Dale Greenleaf at 4:30 a.m. Monday:
CLOSURE OF U.S. 223 IN BLISSFIELD
THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE
DUE TO FLOODING, U.S. 223 IN BLISSFIELD IS CLOSED AT THE RIVER RAISIN. THERE ARE A LARGE NUMBER OF ROAD CLOSURES THROUGHOUT LENAWEE COUNTY DUE TO THE FLOODING. COMMERCIAL TRUCK TRAFFIC IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO AVOID TRAFFIC ON COUNTY ROADS. WESTBOUND US-223 TRAFFIC WILL BE RE-ROUTED SOUTH ON RIGA HWY FROM US-223 TO WESTON RD, WESTON RD WEST TO M-52, M-52 NORTH TO US-223. EASTBOUND TRAFFIC WILL BE RE-ROUTED SOUTH ON M-52 TO WESTON RD, EAST ON WESTON RD TO RIGA HWY, NORTH ON RIGA HWY TO US-223.
SOME ROADS IN OUT-COUNTY AREAS THAT HAVE WATER OVER THE ROAD ARE NOT MARKED. DRIVERS ARE ADVISED TO USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING ANYWHERE IN LENAWEE COUNTY. DRIVERS ENCOUNTERING WATER OVER THE ROAD SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH THE WATER. CURRENTS ARE HIGH AND THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF VEHICLES BEING SWEPT OFF THE ROAD DUE TO THE STRONG CURRENTS.
LOCAL RESIDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES.
STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT REQUESTS FOR POLICE AND FIRE SERVICE WILL BE RESPONDED TO WITHOUT DELAY DUE TO THE ROAD CLOSURE.
A SUBSEQUENT PRESS RELEASE WILL BE ISSUED WHEN U.S. 223 IS RE-OPENED.
DALE A. GREENLEAF
Chief of Police
Blissfield Village Police Department
Logjam, flooding video
IMG_0480.mov
The logjam at the River Raisin U.S. 223 bridge continued to gather debris as a log lodged horizontally between the U.S. 223 bridge and its companion pedestrian bridge. This video was taken at 1:01 p.m. Sunday, June 28, 2015, by Melinda Trine. Please click on IMG_0480.mov to activate the video.
Logjam clogs up River Raisin at U.S. 223 bridge
By Melissa Burnor
At approximately 9:45 a.m. Sunday, a large tree more than 40 feet in length and 18 inches in diameter that appeared to be pulled from its roots somewhere upstream of Blissfield landed parallel to the U.S. 223 bridge over the River Raisin and could not pass under the structure Within minutes several other large branches and tree trunks floating down river began to get clogged under the bridge.
By 10 a.m. the log jam extended more than 20 feet south of the bridge.
Authorities have been notified and are checking on the situation according to Blissfield Police Chief Dale Greenleaf. MDoT has been called in to consult on the logjam.
Two bridges shut down in wake of flooding
By Melissa Burnor
The Lenawee County Road Commission will be shutting down the bridge on Crockett Highway south of Gorman Road until it can be replaced.
The Hoagland Highway bridge north of Laberdee Road is permanently closed.
Grant Emery of the LCRC said engineers were out Sunday inspecting critical bridges in the wake of flooding caused by Friday and Saturday rains in the area. The Hoagland Highway bridge is washed out. The Crockett bridge is unsafe, he said.
A logjam was impeding flow of water at the U.S. 223 bridge in Blissfield Sunday and MDOT has been called in to consult on the situation, however the bridge is not closed and traffic was flowing smoothly Sunday afternoon.
For the complete story, please see the July 1, 2015, edition of The Advance. Copyright 2015, River Raisin Publications, Inc.
Water over roads after steady Saturday rains
By Melissa Burnor
Flooding problems continue to rise in the area after nearly 24 hours of steady rain dumped several of inches of water on already sodden ground and swollen waterways. Several county roads were closed due to water over the road. Places like the curves on Palmyra Road south of Deerfield Road are covered in water and are marked but several places are not. As of Sunday morning, Palmyra Road had been reopened. Lenawee County Road Commission had run out of road closed signs by early Saturday evening as law enforcement and citizens continued to report flooding conditons throughout the county.
The National Weather Service is predicting minor flooding will occur along the River Raisin. The NWS said that the river should crest at 683.4 feet Tuesday morning. This is rated as a minor flooding occurrence but Blissfield will likely flood more than neighboring communities along the banks of the River Raisin. The river is predicted to crest about two feet lower than the event on Dec. 1, 2011, that closed the bridge on US 223 in Blissfield.
The River in Adrian is expected to crest Sunday evening with less flooding possibly than at Blissfield. The river at Monroe is expected to rise 1.5 feet Sunday and remain there for two to three days, according to the National Weather Service with a slight chance of minor flooding.
No more significant rainfall is expected for the next few days. There is currently no flood warning for either Lenawee or Monroe counties.
Former Revco plant on fire in Deerfield
DEERFIELD – Several fire crews are on the scene of a large blaze at the former Revco plant in Deerfield on the west end of the village.
Smoke can be seen for several miles.
According to the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office the road is shut down and traffic is being rerouted down Stearns Highway.
At this time no more information is available. Please check back or read Wednesday’s Advance for more information.
Blissfield softball, Whiteford baseball lose after delays
The rain postponements of Saturday’s Blissfield softball and Whiteford’s baseball finals did the teams no favors when play resumed on Tuesday.
Blissfield fell 5-2 to the Clinton Lady Redskins on their home field. They had trailed 2-1 at the time the game was called due to weather three days earlier.
The Whiteford Bobcats were scoreless against the Summerfield Bulldogs, going down in district action 4-0.
Only the Whiteford Lady Bobcats softball team advances to regionals from The Advance’s coverage area.