DOT crews stay busy monitoring county roads.

Byline: Chris Mazzolini

Sep. 2--Numerous Onslow County roads were inundated with water Friday after Tropical Storm Ernesto dumped rain on the area. State Department of Transportation crews were out surveying the damage, which included flooded roads, washed-out bridges and fallen trees. Robert Vause, a district engineer with the DOT, said drivers should be wary of floods and should avoid driving through them. Most of the local damage was found in the western sections of the county, around Richlands and the Southwest area. The DOT listed 31 "weather events" that were impeding traffic on county roads. "There's numerous secondary roads throughout the county with standing water on them," Vause said. The biggest thoroughfare closed from flooding Friday afternoon was N.C. 24 near Richlands, where flooding closed both sides of the highway. Also closed was N.C. 111 in Back Swamp, where Cyprus Creek overflowed and washed over the bridge. The Back Swamp Volunteer Fire Department had a fire engine blocking the road and was diverting traffic away. Firefighters had to pull a woman from a minivan that became stuck in the Cyprus Creek rising waters, said firefighter Frankie Melton. Blue Creek Road was covered with running water that appeared to be rising Friday morning, as was Haws Run Road, where rising water covered that road and threatened houses on nearby Mill River Road. On Five Mile Road, near Albert Ellis Airport, a waterline busted when a bridge washed out. Onslow Water and Sewer Authority crews were on the scene. Susan Poole, an ONWASA spokeswoman, said that was the only water trouble in the county. "Our crews have been running into some roads that have been blocked, but as far as waterlines, that's it," she said.

Residents with Internet access can get real-time information on road closings by logging onto the DOT's Traveler Incident Management System at apps.dot.state.nc.us/TIMS/Default.aspx, then selecting "Southern Coastal" region and then clicking on Onslow County. Motorists already on the road can call 511 on their cell phones to get up-to-the minute road information. Vause said road status will constantly be updated on both the Internet and the phone system. Contact Chris Mazzolini at cmazzolini@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 229.

Copyright (c) 2006, The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C.

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