Flooding leads to road closures in Jefferson County

RIGBY — Drivers have been asked to stay off some rural roads in Jefferson County due to excessive flooding.

Jefferson County Emergency Management Coordinator Rebecca Squires said the flooding is occurring west of Interstate 15 from County Line Road to approximately 600 N.

Squires tells EastIdahoNews.com the water has reached levels that are unsafe to drive through. Road crews report many road surfaces and bridges are compromised creating extremely hazardous conditions.

“Cars have been reported to be floating in that area. It’s a very, very dangerous situation,” Squires said.

Three roads, which lead to farmland in isolated parts of the county, were closed Monday. On Tuesday, flooding began affecting residential properties in Jefferson County.

The following roads have been closed: 600 North from 2450 East to 2300 East; 400 North from 2400 East to 1800 East; 2300 East from County Line to 400 North; 2100 East from County Line to 400 North; 2600 East from 200 North to 400 North; and 1800 East from 400 North to 1200 North.

“In viewing some pictures from our road and bridge crews it looks like a waterfall instead of a street. It’s created some very dangerous conditions,” Squires said.

Squires said it’s critical for people to respect the road closures and road blocks.

“You may assume that there’s a road underneath that water, but in many cases the road surfaces have actually been washed out,” Squires said.

Once the water recedes the road crews will be able to work on emergency repairs.

“It’s just high water that has to recede. It’s not like we can drain it anywhere or pump it anywhere it’s just water that has to go away,” Squires said.

Updates are being provided through an emergency alert phone system from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

Squires said people register their cell phones by clicking the “AlertSense” link on the bottom left corner of the Jefferson County homepage.