BARNET, Vt. (WCAX) – Immediately after the floods two weeks ago, 47 state roads were closed due to the damage the high water left in its wake. Now, all but two of them have reopened to at least one lane.
It’s been more than two weeks since floodwaters washed out roads and bridges across the region. Road crews have been out making repairs and significant progress has been made.
Road crews moved earth Friday in front of the Barnet Village Store, which is now a huge crater. The section needs to be shored up before Route 5 — which runs to the east of the store — can reopen.
“I think this was the worst hit and I think this will take a little bit longer,” said Walter Anderson, a local resident. But what a difference two weeks has made. Most of the damage on Route 5 has been repaired. “I mean this whole road was wiped out, just devastation and it seems like they are already halfway done with fixing it so it is impressive.”
While some local town roads across the region also remain closed, Route 5 in Barnet and Route 100 in South Duxbury, are the only two state roads with sections that remain closed. Route 302 in Groton is back open, but like a handful of other state roads, a section a mile away is down to one lane while repairs are made.
“We haven’t had any problems besides a little bit of gravel that has got onto the road. Just slow down a little bit. We’ve had great riding,” said Mike Andersen, who traveled 1,400 miles from Wisconsin to Vermont by motorcycle.
As the repairs continue, the property damage and personal loss the storm left behind are not lost on residents. “Luckily, we live on higher ground, so last year and this year, it didn’t really affect us. But we were kind of devastated when we saw what happened with everybody else in town,” Walter Anderson said.
Officials are reminding drivers to use caution and to slow down when going through construction zones.