Damage to county roads may top $25 million

Posted at 4:03 PM on June 22, 2012 by Paul Tosto
Filed under: Transportation, Weather

Here's the latest flooding update from MPR News reporter Jon Collins:

Flooding damaged or submerged about 670 miles of paved county roads and 760 miles of gravel roads in St. Louis County, according to the public works department.

Traffic engineer Victor Lund estimated the damage between $20 to $25 million, and warned the figure may increase as water recedes and reveals damage that's not apparent now.

As of Thursday, there were 78 county roads closed. Today the number is over 100 as water moves into new areas.

County workers have opened some roads in rural areas that left residents landlocked.

How long will repairs take?

Lund said small projects like the re-grading of gravel roads will be done in coming weeks. Roads where drainage pipes have been washed away should take between one and two months. Larger projects, like at locations where bridges were washed away, could take until October, Lund said.