As winter turns to spring and snow turns to water, several roads in Sturgeon County are closed due to flooding, including a major highway.
Secondary highway 825 between highways 37 and 643 is closed and drivers are being advised to use highways 28A or 643 until the flooding is resolved.
Some local roads have also been closed including Township Road 555A between Range Road 225 and 230, which is covered in water.
Several other roads were closed at times over the last week, as county crews scrambled to keep up with the spring melt.
Transportation manager John Dugas said with the amount of snow still on the ground there could be more road closures in the future.
“The water is starting to go down right now, but with the temperatures rising it will go back up again.”
He said staff believes they have the situation more or less under control, but that could change.
“We are kind of hoping right now that we have most of our problem areas dealt with,” he said. “We are kind of hoping we are ahead of the game.”
Sturgeon County also advised about several roads covered with water that, while not closed to traffic, residents would be best to avoid, if possible.
Those roads include: Range Road 261 south of highway 633; Township Road 540 west of the Y-intersection at Range Road 262 and Range Road 540A; and Range Road 231 south of Township Road 560.
In some cases there is too much snow in the ditches to allow the water to flow and in others, the culverts are blocked with ice, Dugas said
He added the flooding is damaging the roads, repairs that will have to be addressed once the water subsides.
“In some places you get water eroding the roads very lightly and in other places you get complete washouts.”
Sturgeon County has crews trying to correct the drainage issues and plans to open the roads as soon as possible.
Residents who spot other drainage issues are asked to call Sturgeon County's transportation department at 780-939-8252.
Dugas said the county has responded to 96 calls since April 1 and is asking residents for patience until all areas are addressed.
