Both Chadron and Dawes County officials are still urging people to stay home as strong winds continue to hamper road recovery efforts from this week’s blizzard by creating new drifts almost as soon as an area is plowed.
The city yesterday advised only absolutely necessary travel inside the city limits and extended its Snow Emergency today to noon tomorrow.while Dawes County declared all county roads as impassable and extremely dangerous.
Local school districts are following the recommendations as Chadron, Crawford, Gordon-Rushville, Hemingford, and Sioux County have all canceled classes and activities, including basketball, although Sioux County’s rural Chalk Butte School will have regular hours. Hay Springs is unaffected because it uses a 4-day week.
Western Nebraska Community College is closed and so is Chadron State, although it’s still scheduled to hold Winter Commencement this afternoon at 2:00. Other closures include the Chadron Medical Clinic and the Sheridan County Courthouse in Rushville.
Chadron City Transit Director Julie Lawrence says if road conditions are acceptable, buses will run this afternoon and again tomorrow to help residents safely to get to stores for groceries and other necessities.
Dawes County Highway Superintendent Wade Yada says his plows will continue working over the weekend to open roads, but are still finding too many cases of winds rebuilding drifts in many areas shortly after they’ve been plowed.
Yada asks for patience from rural residents and reminds drivers who have to go out, such as ranchers needing to feed livestock, to use extreme caution on all roads since conditions can change from bare pavement to drifts by just rounding a curve.
The Nebraska Dept of Transportation did open 6 highways in the Panhandle yesterday, but none were north of Alliance, leaving all the highways in Dawes, Sioux, and Sheridan Counties closed
Efforts to reopen roads north of the Pine Ridge are continuing with full crews, but officials report slow progress because of the wind and how quickly it has been rebuilding drifts.
In South Dakota, No Travel Advisories continue to impact nearly all state highways, with several in the central and northeastern portions of the state physically impassable,
Interstate 90 between Rapid City and the Wyoming state line was closed again yesterday after having opened Wednesday afternoon. The freeway remained closed from Rapid City east to Mitchell, although the portion of I-90 inside Rapid City is open to local traffic.
The South Dakota Dept of Transportation said yesterday that the I-90 closures and the closure of I-29 between Watertown and the North Dakota state line will remain in effect until wind and snow subside to a point drifted snow can be cleared and the highway section maintained.
Tnx for your hard work. Keep on truckin