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Published August 03, 2011, 04:21 PM

Updated: Roads open but officials warn drivers to use caution

More roads were opening up in western Douglas County on Wednesday afternoon, but officials are warning drivers to proceed with caution after Tuesday’s flooding.

  • East 2nd
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    Traffic along East 2nd Street in Superior is reduced to two lanes on Wednesday morning after waters from the Nemadji River flooded the south bound lanes. (Jed Carlson/jcarlson@superiortelegram.com)
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State Highway 35 joined the list of roads opening up in western Douglas County on Thursday morning. While receding water is allowing some roads to open again, county officials are warning drivers to proceed with caution after Tuesday’s flooding.

Flood waters that rose after four to six inches of rain fell across the county may have eroded road beds. Some areas were still affected by localized flooding.

The hardest hit were the towns of Superior, Summit and Dairyland, although the city of Superior also experienced some localized flooding.

Road conditions in the county are continuing to change in the wake of the storms. This morning, Douglas County closed County Road A, just south of Booker Road at the Amnicon River. County High B at Eastman Road has reopened after water cleared from the road.

By this afternoon, Chaffey-Foxboro and Michelsky roads had reopened. County Highway M was also reopened, but county officials reported water is still on one lanes in three or four areas and only one lane is open to traffic.

Several town roads in Summit including Big Balsam, Severson and Patzau Foxboro roads, Pioneer, Summit and Hunters trails, and Tower Fire Lane are also closed.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, State Highway 35 in Douglas County is expected to remain closed until sometime Thursday to make repairs to the roadway.

U.S. Highway 53, which was down to two lanes in the city of Superior near the Nemadji River, cleared and traffic was restored to four lanes.

Water also washed over the bridge near the Nemadji Golf Course making the road impassable.

The emergency shelter established by the Red Cross on Tuesday closed Wednesday morning.

No one accessed the shelter, said Pat Schanen, Douglas County Health and Human Services director. She said if anyone is in need of shelter, the county stands ready to open it up again.

Anyone in need of shelter is encouraged to call (218) 391-6756, (218) 391-4207, (218) 590-6142 or (218) 428-6988.

For the latest information on road conditions, visit www.douglascountywi.org.

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