Owen County commissioners declared a road emergency Thursday for a failing culvert on Qnaught Cataract Road and ordered the county highway department to seek emergency repair quotes and prepare a temporary closure.

"This is an emergency because the road is slipping away," a commissioner said during the meeting after describing a deep collapse around the culvert. The board voted to declare the project an emergency, to solicit local contractor quotes and to close the affected segment immediately; the motion passed unanimously.

Highway staff reported the culvert sits deep in a ravine (commissioners and staff estimated it could be 15–20 feet deep), that the road shoulder and guardrail are at risk, and that a full structural replacement will be expensive and will likely require substantial fill and staged excavation. Commissioner Sam recommended stockpiling local limestone and fill where possible to mitigate costs.

Action taken: commissioners directed the highway department to post closure signage immediately, to contact local and nonlocal contractors for emergency repair quotes, to shore the shoulder with available limestone in the short term and to provide cost estimates for replacement work at the next meeting. "If it slips at night, I don't know what we can do in the meantime," a commissioner said, supporting the immediate closure.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the site is a safety hazard to drivers and that a failure could occur without further notice. They instructed staff to add web and public notices advising motorists of the closure and detour information.

Ending: The county will seek contractor quotes for immediate stabilization and replacement and expects to return with cost details and a procurement recommendation as soon as possible.