Motorists should be aware that heavy rain overnight has created a number of driving hazards. Flash flooding is likely to continue to be an issue for the next few days with river flooding to present additional hazards for the next few weeks.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has attempted to provide the public and area news media with up to date lists of highway closures due to rising floodwaters. The KY Highway Water Over Road report can be found at www.facebook.com/KYTCdistrict2. This list will be updated as appropriate.
Many more city streets and county roads are also flooded.
The closure list is likely to grow as area rivers continue to rise in coming weeks. Motorists should maintain a high level of situational awareness whenever they are driving near rivers or streams. River levels are expected to rise enough to threaten major travel arteries.
Flash flooding may also present safety issues.
As little as 6 inches of moving water can knock an adult off their feet and as little as foot of moving water can push a vehicle off the roadway. Remember, Turn Around, Don’t Drown. Drowning in auto-related incidents is among the major causes of weather-related deaths.
The list of water-related hazards continues to grow. Heavy rain can wash debris onto highway driving surfaces. Saturated soil can combined with winds to cause trees to fall around the region. Several highway maintenance crews were called to cut up a number of downed trees overnight.
Floodwaters are at work creating additional potholes and covering up existing potholes. Extreme wet conditions make it impossible for highway crews to make any headway with pothole patching efforts. When a pothole is filled with water patching material won’t stick, so even those that are patched can quickly reopen. It may take a few days of dry weather before highway crews can make much progress in their war on potholes. Until crews get some help from drier weather, motorists are advised to slow down, use caution, and be on the lookout for potholes.
Additional flood-related driving tips are available at ready.gov.