Highway 20 open to traffic

Highway 20 between Colusa and Williams was re-opened to one lane shortly after 9 a.m. today, and power had been restored to nearly all customers in Colusa County by late Thursday night, according to emergency service agencies.

The busiest east-west thoroughfare in the county was shut down between Lonestar and Husted roads at 4 p.m. Thursday, after flood waters from the 2047 Canal inundated the area.

Traffic was able to use the eastbound lane in both directions for several hours before the highway was closed entirely, and detours have been available all along.

When both lanes of the highway will be open again is uncertain, and will largely depend on how much rain a small storm expected this afternoon drops on the saturated valley floor.

The National Weather Service in Sacramento does not think the storm will pack much of a punch, and will not bring the kind of winds that toppled trees and power lines and cut off electricity to about 5,400 customers starting at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The Weather Service also has dialed back its expectations on how rough the next weather front will be when it hits the area late Sunday or early Monday.

The forecast is for lighter rains and winds than first believed, the service reported, with the brunt of the storm hitting south of Colusa County.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, nearly 1,000 customers were still without power countywide, 500 of those in Arbuckle and another 400 in Colusa.

But PG&E crews quickly restored electricity to virtually all areas, including the last 27 customers in the Maxwell area - by 11 p.m., the Colusa County Office of Emergency Services reported.

The Office of Emergency Service had made plans to set up a shelter for those in the Maxwell area, but that became unnecessary, the office reported.

PG&E spokesman Brian Swanson said the last 40 customers in Colusa and the final 20 in Williams should be online by 2 p.m. The 10 custumers waiting for power in Princeton should be hooked up by 3 o'clock.

The bigger concern was the cresting Sacramento River, which rose to 64 feet, 4 inches, higher than anticipated. That combined with creek runoff in the western foothills, had emergency crews on alert in the event of any flooding.

But there are no reports of any houses being flooded, though some sandbagging was reported, and no injuries have been reported from the storms, emergency services said.

Flood waters have closed 17 roads in the county, typical for the kind of storm activity witnessed in recent days.

Northbound Interstate 5 was closed for 30 minutes Wednesday morning when a Eucalyptus tree uprooted in its soggy ground and toppled over both lanes, the CHP said.

Caltrans was able to get the freeway open in a short amount of time by cutting up the tree and moving it off the shoulder.

A toppled tree also crashed on to the roof of a 14th Street home in Colusa, but the damage did not appear to be severe, and no one was hurt.

ROAD CLOSURES

Long-Term Closure
Road Name         Closure Location

Harlan Road        Freshwater Road to Leesville Road
Myers Road        Lone Star Road to Ohm Road
Ohm Road        Ware Road to Hahn Road


Temporary Closure
Road Name         Closure Location

Boles Road        Closed at crossing
California Avenue     South of Wisconsin Road
Cortina School Road    At Sand Creek Crossing
Danley Road        Closed at Stone Corral Creek
Evans Road        At Cortina Creek Crossing
Four Mile Road        Closed between Maxwell-Colusa                 Road and Norman Road
Goat Mountain Road    Goat Mountain Road
Gridley Road        Gridley Highway closed at Butte                 County Line
Lone Star Road        From Meyers Road to Hahn Road
Lurline Avenue        Closed from Jameson to San Jose                 RoadOld Leesville Grade                    Wet - Slippery
San Jose Road        Closed Highway 20 to Lurline Road
Sand Creek Road    Specific location not available
Tule Road        At 2047 Canal
Vawter Road        Low water crossing
White Road        Closed at the 2047 Canal
Wyer Road        At low-water crossing

Source: Colusa County Department of Public Works