The heavy rains of the last week have impacted traffic throughout the county, creating a number of road closings and detours.

In Ironton, with the gaps in the city’s flood wall being sealed, traffic headed to the north end of town has been re-routed out onto U.S. 52 and back around to get to the area surrounding Ironton middle and elementary schools.

In the central part of the county, four lanes of U.S. 52 were blocked, following a rockslide that took place Monday morning, shutting down the federal highway, just west of Chesapeake. One has since reopened.

If you are planning on driving within the county, allow yourself a little extra time to get to your destination, as traffic can back up on the detours.

And, though being directed out of your way can be frustrating, conditions of this type are typical in a weather event around this time of year.

We would like to commend state and local workers who have been out and about these past few days, tackling these problems.

Crews from the Ohio Department of Transportation arrived at the rockslide shortly after it occurred and have been hard at work, busting up the rock and removing it.

While, in Ironton, Fire Chief Mike Mahlmeister and others could be found on U.S. 52, directing the city’s traffic through the new route.

While the current conditions are an inconvenience, that will, hopefully, pass shortly, the hard work of these people have ensured that things continue running smoothly and that the impact of the closings will be kept to a minimum.