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Imagine a road you use every day is shut down because of storm damage. And, to make matters worse -- it may never reopen again.
Over the past few weeks alone, we have seen several examples of roads crumbling -- a pickup truck falling into a sinkhole in Sapulpa, a road shut down in Jenks as it fell apart before our eyes, and several other sinkholes catching drivers off guard in the past.
Right now, it's a real-life situation for folks in Rogers County. In fact, Keetonville Road is so badly damaged, it has been abandoned and now residents are facing a major detour.
In some cases, the detour is as much as 20 additional miles each way. But, because the damage is so bad, and the road is in a flood-prone area, county officials had no choice but to shut it down.
Rogers County Commissioner Mike Helm has turned into a 'Roads' Scholar. He was forced to learn a very quick lesson -- what to do about Keetonville Road. Buckling and cracking are everywhere. Some pieces have already broken off and are in the Verdigris River.
"Monday morning, we had a three-inch crack. Today, the crack is three feet with a four-foot drop. It's very unstable."
Helm had no choice but to shut the road down. And it's going to be a real hassle for those who live or work nearby. Instead of cutting through, drivers will now have to take a 20-mile detour though the middle of Claremore.
What's more, Rogers County officials are considering this road to now be abandoned. That means there are no plans to fix it because it could easily happen again.
"When you have a project like this that will cost 300-500 thousand dollars, do you fix it knowing that a river is right there? Or, do you take the Army Corps report and move to another area?"
And things could get worse before they get better. If heavy rain continues, more of the road could wash away.
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