A scenic route in Montrose along the Mississippi has now been closed to industrial and tourist traffic. The city is only allowing locals through. Recent heavy rains in has caused part of River Road to sink about four feet. During the week of May 19th, the city saw more than ten inches of rain. This amount of rain saturates the ground making it too heavy and eventually causing it to shift. With the amount of damage recent storms have caused, the county is now considered a disaster area allowing FEMA to step in and help. David Hawk, Montrose City Council Member, told KHQA the possible solutions the city is considering.
Hawk said, "We have three alternatives. One to temporarily fix this outside with larger rock which should allow for drainage out below. If that doesn't work maybe move the road that way to keep two lane traffic. And, our third alternative, which we don't want to do, would be to close the road."
Officials in the city advise north bound drivers on River Road to take Airport Road. And, for south bound drivers to take Middle Road. The area should be ready to fix around August, when the ground begins to dry out.
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