DODGE COUNTY, Neb. (KMTV) — An ice jam on the Elkhorn River north of Scribner closed Highway 275 due to flooding.
On Wednesday, 3 News Now reported on an ice jam building up on the Elkhorn River. Nearly 48 hours later, the jam's grown in size. with the ice preventing running water from going through and caused flooding on a small section of Highway 275 north of the Elkhorn.
"Right now we have an ice jam on the Elkhorn River and it is causing flooding right down the road here, about a quarter of a mile," said Brian Davis, a highway maintenance worker senior with the Nebraska Department of Transportation.
Friday's flooding comes on the same day NDOT announced that all highways and bridges affected by the 2019 floods are now open. The bridge in Hadar, Nebraska opened up Friday.
"Obviously if there wasn't the jam up there we wouldn't be having the problem," Davis said.
The section of Highway 275 flooded is one of the lowest and closest to the floodplain. NDOT officials 3 News Now talked to said the floodsite is normally the first place in the area to flood.
"It just seems like it is almost annually," Davis said.
NDOT officials said the highway needed to be closed not only due to the flood waters, but also to prevent cars driving over the water that was freezing over.
"It's about four inches deep and if anybody was about to hit that going at regular highway speeds they would just hydroplane off the road," Davis said.
NDOT officials do not know how long the portion of Highway 275 will be closed for. The department had signs posted and detours set up from drivers heading through the area.
