TOWN OF UNION, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A stretch of road along the eastern shore of Green Bay has reopened after ice shoves closed it Thursday night.
Big frozen chunks blocked the way on a short stretch of South Bay Shore Road in the Town of Union.
“The Bay came calling, and the winds came up and pushed the ice up onto the shore,” said Rob Robison, Door County Highway Department Construction Supervisor.
Robison says Door County Sheriff’s Deputies closed part of the road Thursday night, keeping vehicles and people away until Friday morning, when a front-end loader arrived to take on the task.
“The main pile was about 15 feet, by 50 feet, and then there was small fingers coming off of it,” said Robison.
Robison says the ice jam blocked four properties, including Jim Vogel’s house.
“The wind picked up around 7:00. We didn’t hear anything. And then around 9:30, our neighbor called and said, did you look out your window? And she had seen the ice, so we came outside. It was just piled up, 15-20 feet. The road was covered. Everything. It was quite a scene,” said Jim Vogel, Town of Union.
Vogel says he and his family had plenty of supplies, and waiting for the highway department to clear the road, wasn’t a problem.
“We have the saying, ‘well, that’s living on the bay,’” he said.
But he says it may be some time before he can check the shoreline for any damage.
“I don’t know, I have a little wall down below there. That’s probably gone. My two trees out here are still standing yet, so that was good. So we’ll see when it melts in July, what it looks like,” said Vogel.
Meanwhile the ice break-up continues on part of the bay. On Friday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay was spotted nearby.
