The Lyon County Highway Department plans to begin work this week, perhaps as soon as Monday, to replace a bridge that collapsed near Neosho Rapids late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
Road 170 is closed between Kansas Highway 130 and Road W until further notice after the bridge failed over Dry Creek. Assistant Engineer Jim Brull says it is far too early to say when the bridge will be replaced and traffic can return to normal.
Brull says the early indication is the west abutment failed. Lyon County deputies at the bridge say elevated water flow was the reason. Brull also says there will be an investigation to see whether there were any additional contributing factors.
Deputies on scene say the washout was discovered shortly before 5 am as a pickup driver on his way to work drove over the caved-in part of the bridge. The truck was heavily damaged, but the driver was not transported by ambulance to any medical facility afterward.
Brull says the bridge was on Lyon County’s replacement list for unspecified reasons unrelated to the abutment failure.
So far, the Dry Creek incident remains the only episode of significant rain-related issues in Lyon County. Weekend rain led to some of Emporia’s traditional ponding spots like Rural at Ninth and 12th, as well as Ninth and Rural, to be active as of Saturday evening. Most of those spots were not active before sunrise Sunday.
The KVOE studios picked up 1.50 inches of rain from Friday night through 7 pm Sunday. Other totals:
*Emporia Municipal Airport: 1.29 inches.
*10th and Weaver: 1.20 inches
*Burlington: 1.17 inches
*10 miles southwest of Cassoday: 1.49 inches
The rainfall is in line with projections of half an inch to 2 inches of rain areawide leading up to this event.
KVOE and KVOE.com will have weather and travel updates as warranted. If you have rain totals to report, call KVOE at 620-342-1400, email kvoe@kvoe.com or message the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863.
*Click here for a YouTube Short video.
7 am Sunday: Road 170 bridge over Dry Creek out of commission until further notice
Lyon County deputies say elevated water flow has caused a bridge east of Emporia to collapse.
Deputies and the Lyon County Highway Department have Road 170 blocked off over Dry Creek, or just west of Road X. The bridge has not fallen into the creek as of 6:30 am, but the deck has caved in considerably and is considered unsafe for any travel.
Deputies on scene say the washout was discovered shortly before 5 am as a pickup driver on his way to work drove over the caved-in part of the bridge. The truck was heavily damaged, but the driver was not transported by ambulance to any medical facility afterward.
There is no word on when the bridge replacement process will be completed.
So far, the Dry Creek incident is the only episode of significant rain-related issues in Lyon County. Weekend rain led to some of Emporia’s traditional ponding spots like Rural at Ninth and 12th, as well as Ninth and Rural, to be active as of Saturday evening. Most of those spots were not active before sunrise Sunday.
The KVOE studios picked up 1.2 inches of rain from Friday night through 6 am Sunday. The Emporia Municipal Airport is up to 0.99 inches of rain.
*Click here for a YouTube Short video.
5:20 am Sunday: Bridge on Road 170 collapses near Road X as moderate rain totals continue
So far, moderate rain totals Friday night through Saturday have not combined with saturated ground from January to develop any widespread flooding in Emporia or Lyon County, but a travel issue is in progress east of Emporia.
The KVOE studios picked up 1.1 inches of rain from Friday night through 4 am Sunday. The Emporia Municipal Airport is up to 0.91 inches of rain during that same time.
The weekend rain led to some of Emporia’s traditional ponding spots like Rural at Ninth and 12th, as well as Ninth and Rural, to be active as of Saturday evening. Most of those spots were not active before sunrise Sunday.
Near Emporia, however, Lyon County deputies have reported a bridge on Road 170 west of X has collapsed. The reasons are currently unclear. The Lyon County Highway department is now investigating.
In neighboring counties:
*Greenwood County is reporting a pair of bridges south of US Highway 400 have been barricaded due to water over them.
Photos by Chuck Samples/KVOE News
