Ongoing rainfall damages, closes several roads

SMITH COUNTY — Continuous days of rain have pummeled East Texas this week and the roads are paying the price, according to our news partner KETK. “We’ve seen a lot of damage to the roads, the rain, just the sheer amount of rain we’ve had,” Smith County Commissioner Precinct 2, John Moore said. The rain left its mark by closing at least five roads in Smith County on Wednesday. The rain is also affecting already damaged roadways, according to Moore.

“You had roads that were compromised because of gophers, leafcutter ants, and other things that nature puts on our roadways, that’s bad enough, but some of this flooding has been bad enough that it really wouldn’t have mattered what was going on,” Moore said.

He explains that the amount of rain is too much for the already saturated areas, leading to compounding road damage.

“It’s just too much water and it causes a lot of damage,” Moore said. It’s not only been an issue for the county, but roads maintained by the state. The Texas Department of Transportation shared it’s been preparing for these continuous rainy days, saying it all starts with road planning.

“There’s a lot that goes into it,” TxDOT Public Information Officer Jeff Williford said. “You know, any time we have a new roadway or new construction project, one of the things we look at is drainage.”

TxDot has crews monitoring, evaluating and closing down roads along with weekly maintenance on bridges and culverts in the area to prevent future harm.

“If a road does flood or if there is high water, our crews will be there,” Williford said. “They’ll be monitoring the situation. We’ll have our lights on, our blue and yellow lights warning drivers.”

Williford urged drivers to stay aware with the continued downpour. “Be extra careful, and for certain don’t try to cross over a flooded road or drive through rushing water,” Williford said. “It can be very powerful. Flash flooding is the leading weather-related cause of death in Texas.”