ELBOW - The spring melt can cause all types of road anomalies, but what started off as a pothole just south of the village of Elbow has turned into a completely washed-out highway.
Motorists will see a detour pointing them east when they drive down Highway 19, and the closure that's located 26 km south of Elbow - which started off as a mere pothole - grew into a problem so quickly since the evening of April 12, when passing drivers in the area that the highway was starting to wash away as the spring melt became more prominent.
The closure affects one of the main routes that connects the people of Central Butte and area with the city of Saskatoon.
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways says that a fast melt impacted a number of highways in the southwest part of the province, including two culverts that were lost due to the considerable amount of water.
While crews are monitoring the situation and engineers are working on a plan, the province has said that there are some geotechnical challenges with repairs. As such, the road closure will present a challenge for people who use the main highway to travel to Saskatoon.
According to the Ministry of Highways, there is no timeline as of yet, but work related to the highway repairs will be tendered as soon as possible.
Drivers are being strongly encouraged to use the Highway Hotline in order to check out the status of roads as the spring season carries on.
