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With the heavy Wednesday night/Thursday morning rains, the Houghton County Road Commission reported an additional 18 roads that sustained damage. By the end of yesterday however, all of those road were made passable with the exception of Pewabic Street in Ripley and 8th Street in Hubble. The list of roads that remain closed is unchanged. Franklin Township reports that, in addition to Pewabic Street, Military Road was also washed out
The Road Commission, MDOT, the Cities of Houghton and Hancock and Franklin and Torch Lake Townships reported washouts in numerous areas that had previously been repaired. Work is proceeding to refill those washouts. The City of Houghton’s efforts to reopen Sharon Avenue was also pushed back but they anticipate it’s reopening later today.
The Road Commission reported that traffic signals have been set up on the Houghton Canal Road in the vicinity of Markham’s Marina as traffic is limited to one lane. They anticipate the signals being in place for a number of months.
The Road Commission continues to work with MDOT to complete engineering reports on the Federal Aid Roads which must be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration for their approval before work can continue.
MDOT reported that work will begin today at Swedetown Creek for the temporary bridge. The contractor will begin driving piles for the structure which is projected to be completed no sooner than July 24.
The DEQ and DNR continue their emergency drain work. The DNR reported cutting an AT&T line near the H&Y Marina near Ripley while working on a culvert there.
The DEQ is in the planning stages of what to do with all of the mining company railroad grades that run from Hancock to Lake Linden and beyond. With the departure of those companies, the drainages through those grades have not been maintained and have become plugged with debris, both natural and manmade. The concern is that each of those drainages will eventually overflow causing a rupture of the grades and subsequent flooding downstream.
The DNR has crews working in Ripley and Tamarack. They report that a trail spur will be open from Hancock to Dollar Bay in the near future but there is no foreseeable timeframe for opening the remaining trail to Lake Linden. The DNR also reports that extensive dumping of household debris is happening on the trails and they have called in law enforcement to investigate.
The Western U.P Health Department reported 75 wells have tested positive for bacteria.
