South Airport Road reopens after flood repairs and safety inspections

South Airport Road reopened at 4:30 p.m. on April 20, restoring one of Grand Traverse County’s key travel corridors after days of flood damage, repairs and bridge inspections. The reopening eased the pressure on drivers rerouted around closures, while four county roads still remained shut as recovery work continued.

Grand Traverse County Road Commission engineers and Michigan Department of Transportation bridge inspectors completed the safety checks that allowed the road to open again. County officials said engineers would keep monitoring South Airport Road after the reopening to make sure the repaired area stayed safe as water levels and ground conditions continued to settle.

The road had been caught up in a countywide flood response triggered by rapid snowmelt and heavy rainfall. Grand Traverse County declared a local State of Emergency on April 14 because of ongoing and anticipated flooding impacts, and officials said that declaration allowed the county to bypass normal procedures so crews could respond faster. On April 15, county officials held an incident briefing and press conference after activating the Emergency Operations Center, bringing together the Road Commission, the City of Traverse City, township officials, first responders from multiple jurisdictions, TCAPS, Northwest Education Services, Dean Transportation and county departments including the Sheriff’s Office, 911/Central Dispatch, Equalization, GIS/Mapping, the Drain Commission, Administration, the Board of Commissioners, Public Health and Emergency Management.

By April 20, county officials said the Boardman River was officially below flood advisory stage and the Emergency Operations Center was shifting from response to recovery. The local State of Emergency was set to expire that evening, even as Grand Traverse County remained covered by the State of Michigan’s State of Emergency declaration.

At the height of the flooding, eight roads in Grand Traverse County were closed. That number had fallen to four by April 20, a sign that the most immediate danger had eased, though officials still urged residents to avoid flood-impacted areas and never drive through flooded roadways. The county also continued to direct residents to its interactive road-closure map, 2-1-1 hotline and self-reporting survey for flood damage assessment as crews tracked remaining problems and moved deeper into recovery.