DUNDEE, MI (WTOL) - Between the snow melting and the rain washing it away, we've had our fair share of wet weather this week, but things are getting back to normal, at least for now.
The M-50 bridge in Dundee was reopened on Saturday after closing down due to high water on Friday.
Rising water on the River Raisin forced the closure of the M-50 river bridge to both road and foot traffic on Friday evening heading into the weekend.
Cheryl Murphy-Smith and her son were out for lunch, enjoying being able to drive around town while they still could.
"As an employee of Dundee Schools, it's going to make it difficult for our drivers and parents to get their kids on the other side of the bridge," said Cheryl.
Don Lafountain, Heavy Equipment Operator for the Monroe County Road Commission was getting everything ready for the closure.
"We have detour signs we place on the outskirts of town. We also have message boards on US-23 stating alternate routes when they get off," said Lafountain.
Alternate routes to US-23 include Ida West and Lewis Avenue to M-50 from either direction.
Just know that it's going to tack on a few minutes to your travel.
Many of the local businesses have put out sandbags as a precaution, and some are closed, including the post office, which will have all of their operations moved to Monroe for the time being, although postal delivery is supposed to happen as usual for those in Dundee.
"We are actually going to have extra patrols over the weekend, because with the bridge closure, that takes away a direct route for our patrols, so we're actually going to double our shifts over the weekend and have somebody on each side of the bridge to respond to any emergencies, as is the fire department too," said Sergeant Randy Sehl of the Village of Dundee Police Department.
Monroe County was ready to close down the bridge on Friday morning due to high water near the bottom of the bridge, but the state decided to try and hold out until school let out so not to re-route busses all over town if they didn't have to.
Lafountain also has a warning for those who live in the area.
"Just be safe out there and stay away from the water. I mean, as you can tell, the current, it will pull you in and it will pull you down. So, just be safe," said Lafountain.
Since the River Raisin tends to get high water from time to time, crews are prepared, and you can rest easy that authorities are on top of it.
