COULD BE WEEKS BEFORE TRAVEL IS BACK TO NORMAL
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has reopened a section of US 60 in eastern Union County. US 60 had been closed due to high water near the 25 mile marker between Waverly and Corydon near the Union-Henderson County Line.
The Union County Highway Maintenance Crew had planned to open US 60 to one lane traffic through the area Wednesday afternoon, but water was over the road in several places around a number of curves along almost a mile-long section. During the night floodwaters continued to drop in the area allowing it to reopen to full traffic flow by about 11 p.m.
Reopening of US 60 in the Highland Creek area allows a more direct route for commuters between Morganfield and Henderson. The detour for this section led trucks hauling materials into an out of Union County and daily commuters on an extended trip along rural secondary highways through the Smith Mills community.
With so many highways closed by floodwaters, about the only other access to Union County was via KY 56 to the Shawneetown Bridge to the west or KY 56 to US 41- Alternate to the east.
Even with US 60 open in eastern Union County, highway officials continue to advise motorists to buckle up, slow down, and use caution in the area. Water is at the edge of the pavement. With ditches in the area still flooded, even a minor traffic crash could put a vehicle in 10 feet or more water.
US 60 continues to be closed to all traffic along an extended section in southern Union County between Sullivan and Sturgis. US 60 is closed in Crittenden County due to flooding near the Tradewater River Bridge.
US 60 is closed farther to the west in Livingston County where several extended sections are covered by floodwaters between Burna and Smithland. US 60 is also closed where it joins US 51 and US 62 to cross the Ohio River between Wickliffe, Ky., and Cairo, Ill. About a two-mile section of the bridge approach in Ballard County is under 6 feet of water in some places.
With river levels along the lower Ohio and its tributaries expected to remain at near-historic high levels for an extended period, and the likelihood many miles of flooded highways will need repairs after floodwaters recede, highway engineers say it could be several weeks or more before land travel returns to normal across the region.
