Despite recent work to further flood proof the northbound lanes of Highway 75 south of Morris, the dike on the south end of the community was closed earlier this week.

Mayor Scott Crick says it's unfortunate.

"My expectation, and I think the community's, was that the flood proofing south of town on Highway 75 had been completed. In a conversation with (Manitoba Infrastructure) I was reminded that no, they still had a portion of the dike extension to finish on the northbound lanes and that we would not be able to offer traffic to come through at 2009/2011 (flood) levels," he explained. "Unfortunately, that one piece just wasn't done in time but we can look forward to having that in future years."

This latest dike closure follows last week's closure of the north dike at Morris. The west dike was sealed off earlier this week as well.

"The challenge we always have is that it's never really the whole road, it's always just a certain part of the road where the Shannon Creek comes over Highway 23, very close to the Riverside Road," said Crick. "It's just a low spot on the road and the water can tend to back up there, and it does create a challenge because the water does come over the road and it becomes much more unsafe for people to go through there."

The only access in and out of Morris is now on Highway 23 to the east.

Considering a slow melt of the winter's historic snowfall led to little or no flooding, Crick says its very disappointing to be dealing with high water now.

"For most residents, it makes commuting more difficult, but it's not like their property is being threatened," he said. "I think that a closure like this, always the individuals who do suffer the worst is the local business community. They now lose all this traffic through town, plus they lose the local business which is very important for sustaining the businesses." Crick noted, the closure has made it more difficult for people living around Morris to come to town and do their business as well.

The Mayor said this is just the latest hit to the local business community, especially the service industry, after years of challenges brought on by the pandemic.

"The message we have for local residents is, if you can support local business whether its the restaurants or the shops, this is a very important time to do that," said Crick, noting it is important to remember that not only are they important in providing employment, but they're also an important part of the community's tax base. "So, when we look at the facilities we have around town, be in the swimming pool, the rec centre or the park, any maintenance of roads and things like that, our business community plays a very very important part in contributing to that tax base, and it's important for us to keep supporting them when they need it, like right now."

The below photo gallery was submitted to PembinaValleyOnline by Lucas Janzen. The pictures were taken May 4th in the Morris area with a drone.