NIOBRARA, Neb. (KELO) — Nearly five months after flooding hit the Niobrara, Nebraska community, people are still feeling the effects of the damages left behind.
In March, the Mormon Canal bridge was wiped out, and damages were done to the Niobrara bridge, separating the community. KELOLAND’s Sarah McDonald explains the toll this has taken on the area.
With no direct access to the west side of Niobrara now, people have been making an extra long trip home or to their farms and ranches. For some what used to be a 15 minute drive home, has now become over an hour.
But folks are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Construction crews started moving in in June to make repairs to the bridge and install a temporary bridge. This is a sight many people are happy to see.
“You have people wanting that bridge open, everyday there’s people looking and waiting, taking pictures and checking it out and these guys are doing their hardest to get it open because they know what we’re struggling with and what it’s like,” rancher Jake Warembourg said.
Nebraska DOT officials say they are hoping the area will be back open by the middle of August.
Coming up Friday on KELOLAND News, hear from business owners and ranchers on how they’ve been dealing with the effects of flooding and bridge closures. Plus an update from the Nebraska DOT on the project.