After flooding, northern Lower Peninsula road closures remain for 4th of July holiday

Fast facts:

• Road closures in the northern Lower Peninsula will remain in place for the holiday weekend in the wake of severe flooding.
• The M-119 "Tunnel of Trees" highway in Emmet County suffered the greatest damage. There are also closures on M-88 and M-66 in Antrim County.
• A video news release documents the extent of the damage.
• MDOT reminds all drivers to respect barricades and closure notices.

GAYLORD, Mich. - Ahead of the busy holiday travel weekend, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) reminds drivers that several popular routes in the northern Lower Peninsula have been damaged by recent severe weather. Motorists should expect closures and detours.

MDOT has issued a video news release documenting the extent of the damage.

In the wake of extreme rainfall Monday, June 29, portions of M-119, also known as the "Tunnel of Trees," have been closed, along with the following areas also affected:

Antrim County

• M-66 is closed over Lilak Creek south of East Jordan due to a culvert failure. Detour: Old State Road, Adams Road and M-32 back to M-66.
• M-88 is closed at Eastport Creek, Wilkinson Creek east of Eastport, and at Coulter Creek west of Ellsworth Road due to washouts. Traffic between M-88 and US-31 is being detoured via Ellsworth Road and Atwood Road. Most of the detoured segment of M-88 is accessible to local traffic from local roadways.

Emmet County

• M-119 has water damage at Middle Village Road. Drivers are advised to avoid the intersection.
• M-119 is closed at Devil's Elbow and north of South Lamkin Road due to washouts.
• M-119 remains closed at Division Road and from West Stutsmanville Road to Terpening Road after flooding damage in April. Traffic is detoured via Terpening Road, Townline Road and Robinson Road. Most of closed M-119 segment is accessible to residents and local traffic but there are a few spots where the road is completely closed. Drivers heading from Harbor Springs to Good Hart or further north need to follow the detour route.

An estimated 5 to 7 inches of rain fell during a few hours Monday, leading to flash flooding and washouts as drainage systems were overwhelmed. While the torrential rain was not widespread, damage in some areas was devastating.

"The rain events we experienced in this area were extreme," said MDOT North Region Associate Region Engineer Bill Wahl. "These were not conditions the roads were designed for when they were built decades ago."

Before the latest washouts, crews were set to repair sections of M-119 damaged by April flooding when heavy rains wreaked havoc on other sections of the popular tourist route.

MDOT is already investing $300,000 to stabilize the slope beneath a section of M-119 near West Stutsmanville Road, between Harbor Springs and Good Hart, damaged in spring flooding. Engineers are now assessing other sections of M-119 washed out by Monday's heavy rainfall as well as sections of M-66 and M-88 in Antrim County. According to Wahl:

• M-88 has areas of severe damage, but repairs there will be manageable.
• M-66 is still being evaluated at Lilak Creek to determine the extent of the damage from a culvert failure. Aside from M-119, that area saw the most severe damage.
• M-119 repairs pose the biggest questions. In some areas, the level of damage is beyond anything typically seen in the northern Lower Peninsula. M-119 traverses a range of bluffs, with some of the higher locations now having massive washouts extending for hundreds of feet. Repairs to some severely damaged spots may be lengthy and expensive, requiring unique engineering and repair techniques.

This week's edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast features conversations about the storm damage and impacts with State Sen. John Damoose (Harbor Springs), who represents the area, as well as Wahl.

The public is encouraged to check Michigan.gov/Drive for updated state road closures (I, M and US routes) and detour information. Drive with caution in these areas. Please respect all barricades and road closure notices. Find an alternate route.