The Cass County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s cooperation in paying strict attention to the road closure signs in Cass County. In some locations, the water has receded but the roads are damaged and awaiting repairs.

In one instance, individuals pushed the road closure barricades to the side of County Highway 81 south of Cass County 16 to allow local traffic to drive on the road. In that case the road is closed because there is water going under the road surface and the shoulders are washed away. The integrity of the road surface is currently unknown and needs further evaluation by engineers. The Sheriff’s office is patrolling that area and will issue citations for driving around the barricades.

At a second location, County Highway 81 south of Harwood is closed for approximately one mile. Again, someone is pushing the closure barricades to the side and local motorists are driving on the road as if it is open. This road is closed for the same reason. The structural integrity of the subsurface requires engineering evaluation and the shoulders are washed out.

Cass County engineers visit these road locations every morning and replace the barricades, but within hours, the sheriff’s deputies have noted the signs have been moved to the side of the road and traffic is driving the road as if it were open. This is a danger to the vehicle occupants because of the washouts under the road surface.

The Sheriff’s Office is asking all drivers to respect the posted signage and know that Cass County is working hard to re-open roads where possible and to fix roads that need repairs for public safety reasons.

If you have follow up questions regarding this information, you are welcome to contact Sgt. Mitch Burris, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, working at the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) on flood related road issues.