Main roadway to Huron flooded after storm
HURON, Calif. (KFSN) -- The sounds of water rushing aren't what drivers like to hear near the city of Huron.
The small farming community uses State Route 269, or Lassen Avenue, as the main thoroughfare to get to town. But on Monday morning, Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol had to shut it down.
"This is the first time in the last three years or so that we've had this much water come across and we've had to close the roadway," Steve Schuh with the CHP said. "It is a designed floodway, so they do have measures in place to keep the water flowing to only this part of the roadway."
Caltrans has been here all day, removing debris and trash from the roadways, including several large mattresses that flooded onto the 269 after the levy broke.
Officials have made major improvements over the years to keep flooding in this area at a minimum, but it seems every time a major storm comes through, the main road gets flooded.
The CHP says the closure isn't manned, so they're advising people not to cross their barriers.
"People do try and cross it in their vehicles and eventually get stuck," Schuh said. "We want to keep people out here for their sake. We don't want any cars being carried off."
Officials estimate there's at least two to three feet of water flowing over the highway - enough to sweep anyone or anything under. The water is flowing to a ponding basin east of town.
For now, anyone passing through will need to find another way to get to Huron.
"There is a lot of truck traffic that carries produce nuts and whatnot from the agriculture in the area and it is actually a thoroughfare from people coming from the Madera-area to the coast they come thru this way to cut a few minutes of time as well," Schuh explained.
For Chevron owner Manjit Multani Sing, drivers getting rerouted means customers going elsewhere to fuel up.
"Since it's raining and business is pretty slow and last since yesterday with the good rain and the 269 is closed and business is pretty slow now," he said.
