The Highway 30 overpass bridge near Grand Junction has been closed for over two weeks now and it has caused some headaches for the Greene County Sheriff’s office on alternative routes.

Sheriff Jack Williams tells Raccoon Valley Radio most of the issues are on the gravel roads surrounding the project.

“We’ve been responding a lot to the unofficial detour routes, the gravel roads, where semis and people are cutting corners too short or getting too close to the ditch and the side of the road is giving out and putting them into the ditch. So just be aware that you’ve got to drive slower and be more aware of what the road conditions are on those gravel roads if you’re using the unofficial detour routes.”

Last week alone, Williams says they responded to four accidents on the gravel road routes. He adds that the gravel roads can also present other issues such as encountering larger vehicles.

“With semis and farm equipment that are meeting on these gravel roads there is not enough room for them to pass each other. So just be aware if you see a tractor coming with an implement you may just want to stop or try and get to a different intersection to let them pass because a semi and a tractor-implement cannot pass.”

The official detour route is Highway 144 to County Road E-26 to Highway 169. The project is expected to last until November.