'Catastrophic failure' avoided in Dudley
Culvert replacements in Dudley at River Road came just in time to avoid anticipated rainfall that could have caused a catastrophic failure, East Side Director of Highways Ben Weymouth said.
Photo courtesy of East Side Highway District
Rainfall and early spring runoff in Fourth of July Creek have caused a partial collapse of culverts and damaged the flood gates beneath River Road near Dudley.
DUDLEY — With precipitation in the forecast for the next few days, Ben Weymouth, director of highways for East Side Highway District, said repairs were completed just in time to rectify the River Road culvert failure in Dudley.
Rainfall and early spring runoff in Fourth of July Creek led to a partial collapse of culverts and damaged the floodgates beneath River Road.
“We were dealing with a failure that with an increase (in waterflow) would have meant a catastrophic failure,” Weymouth said.
Gov. Brad Little issued a state disaster declaration Monday to support emergency flooding efforts in Dudley, which is located between Rose Lake and Cataldo.
Repairs were concluded on the levees, and culverts and floodgates were reattached by Friday afternoon.
“That is going to put us in a place where we should be safe, but between now and this time tomorrow, the river’s going up 3 feet,” Weymouth said. “Had we not done the repairs that we did, that would have submersed everything for 2 miles north of I-90.”
Although the water level in the river isn’t far off from its normal level, Weymouth said more rain could have cost East Side Highway District dearly if it hadn’t rapidly secured long-term repairs.
“They’re rolling in, the river’s going to pop. It's enough to cause problems. We would have already lost the levees and everything would have washed out. If we were one day later, I’m not so sure we would have pulled it off,” Weymouth said.
Weymouth added the emergency declarations from Kootenai County commissioners and Little opened doors for resources and funding assistance that “are a very big deal” to East Side Highway District.
National Weather Service forecasts for the area indicate it’s going to snow and rain over the weekend into next week, adding to the flooding risk.
East Side Highway District was aided by the DG&S Construction, Idaho Transportation Department, Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management, Idaho Office of Emergency Management, Gov. Little's office and the Army Corp of Engineers.
Rainfall and early spring runoff in Fourth of July Creek have caused a partial collapse of culverts and damaged the flood gates beneath River Road near Dudley.