Rains, melting snow cause extensive road closures
Roads across P.E.I. were shut down due to flooding caused by heavy rain and rapid snow melt on Wednesday.
At mid-morning Wednesday the province's 511 system was reporting problems in just about every part of the province. See map of road closures below.
Darren Chaisson, director of highway maintenance for the Department of Transportation, said there are problems from one end of the Island to the other.
"We had to barricade a lot of these roads off because you are just not really sure what is under the water on a lot of these roads. You're not sure if the culverts have been compromised or the bridges," he said.
Chaisson said some people are saying this is the worst spring they have experienced in decades.
"We're just reacting right now as soon as we hear anything that's a safety hazard we shut down the road immediately. It just seems to be everywhere," said Chaisson.
"There's some pretty large structures that are overwhelmed and the water is coming out over the road. Twelve to 15-feet [about four metres] arches here, we're not talking a small road culvert."
Chaisson said a lot of water is coming from wooded areas and fields with the snow melt and rain.
The department is expecting to get started on repairs Thursday.
For mobile device users: View a map of the road closures here