Travel still not advised on gravel roads

            Flood waters were starting to recede Friday, but officials are still recommending that local residents stay off gravel roads in Franklin County.

            A no travel advisory was issued for all county gravel roads on Thursday after heavy rainfall left many rural routes saturated. More than 20 roads were closed by Friday, and officials were still trying to complete repairs to reopen them for travel.

            County engineering technician Jeff Baltes reported that five roads had been reopened since Thursday's closings.

            “Some of the places that we’re fixing today will be under again if the storms hit us this weekend,” he said.

            Around 10 inches of rain has fallen in Franklin County since Monday, June 16. The plethora of precipitation forced water over gravel roads in many areas, which led to the closings.

            Some rural bridges were affected by storms as well, even if they didn’t show it.

            “Bridges that are closed may look fine, but the engineers are looking at them from a different perspective,” said Thomas Craighton, Franklin County Emergency Management Coordinator.

            No paved roads had been closed as of 2 p.m., Friday afternoon. Baltes said the West Fork River near C23 was close to spilling over the road, but it hadn’t done so yet.

            The no travel advisory for Franklin County gravel roads will remain in effect until further notice, Craighton said.