PARKER, S.D. (KELO) — If you’re traveling through Turner County in southeastern South Dakota, you might run into a few ‘ROAD CLOSED’ signs. That’s because two bridges and some roads still have flood damage.
“We’ve got the county highway department and the D.O.T. as well that have both structures that are county. And they have been in the process right now of collecting damage information estimates towards repair,” Turner County Emergency Management Director Brad Georgeson said.
One of those bridges crosses the West Fork of the Vermillion River on South Dakota Highway 44. Water washed out most of the northeast corner.
Another just east of Parker on 275th Street is also closed. Both are shut down until further inspection.
“Some of them with the bridge structures do have to go through a detailed inspection before any dollar amount determination of condition or opening or repairs or possibilities can happen,” Georgeson said.
Turner County Highway Superintendent Kent Austin told KELOLAND News three county roads are still blocked off to traffic. Water surrounds part of South Dakota Highway 19A South.
“You can have a paved road that’s intact, but the base that’s underneath there could be completely gone. And as soon as you put something with the weight on there and not even substantial, even a small car, you could collapse that pavement in there,” Georgeson said.
Repairs could be anywhere from adding in dirt to an entire bridge replacement.
Turner County Emergency Management says its Facebook page has frequent updates on county road conditions. South Dakota 511 is another resource, but does not include local roads. Drivers who ignore road closure signs run the risk of facing a fine.
