A Lewis County road has been closed after several sections collapsed and slipped down the hillside.
Judge-Executive Todd Ruckel said a portion of Holly Branch Road, which is located between Kentucky 989 and Kentucky 244 in Vanceburg, was closed earlier this week after part of the roadway began collapsing.
"There are six spots on the road that are in very bad shape," Ruckel said. "Parts of the road are slipping into the creek below and we can't take a chance of anyone getting hurt."
Ruckel said he believes the slips may have been caused from years of wear and tear and the heavy snow and rainfalls this year.
"We had two heavy snowstorms this year and now we're getting a lot of rain and high water all over the county," he said. "That's hard on an older rural road."
Ruckel said the road has been closed to all through traffic, but is open to residents of the area.
"We have made sure that residents in the area can get to and from their homes safely," he said. "We do not believe there is any danger to the residents driving to their homes."
According to Ruckel, he issued a state of emergency because of the damage to the roadway and FEMA and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet have been contacted about funding to repair the damage.
An early estimate of the damage came to about $383,000, according to Ruckel.
"We're hoping that between the funding we might get from FEMA and from the KTC, we can repair the damage to the road and reopen it," Ruckel said.
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