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Water On Road Closes US-131

Posted at 8:38 AM, Apr 18, 2013
and last updated 2013-04-18 08:47:53-04
Washout of bridge over creek on Thornapple Bayou Drive in Cascade.

Washout of bridge over creek on Thornapple Bayou Drive in Cascade.

One lane was opened after 7 a.m.

That was the biggest problem on the roads, but certainly not the only one.

US-31 was closed after 8 a.m. when water rose over the road at M-40. The Michigan Department of Transportation closed northbound US-31 at the split with I-196. Holland officials said the closure might last all day.

A minor bridge that carries Thornapple Bayou over a creek near 48th Street and the Thornapple River was washed out. No one was on the bridge at the time. The location originally was reported as the 48th Street bridge over the Thornapple River, but that was incorrect.

Hard rains raised the risk of hydroplaning at higher speeds, whether drivers were on expressways or two-lane blacktops.

Two feet of standing water covered Grand River Drive south of Knapp Street northeast of Grand Rapids, and when someone tried to drive through it, they were stranded for a time. By contrast, 28th Street east of Division Avenue, which was closed overnight under the railroad bridge, was reopened shortly after 5 a.m.

But most of the water problems were in Allegan, Ionia, and Newaygo counties.

Early in the morning, authorities in Newaygo County declared a state of emergency, which officially closed all river access areas in the county. A number of streets close to the Muskegon River were closed due to flooding: 72nd Street at Pine Avenue, Timberview Drive at Thornapple Avenue, Sarrell Street at Bridge Street, Felch Avenue at 96th Street, and Main Street at Turner Avenue.

04-18-13 48th St bridge washout 02

Thornapple Bayou Drive in Cascade