UPDATE: Flooding closes stretch of Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway

UPDATE: Highway re-opened as of 8:20 a.m. Friday.

Although Pinal County has not experienced any rainfall since this past Sunday, run-off from southern Arizona and Mexico continues to make its way down the Santa Cruz River and other tributaries.

Run-off covering a section of the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway from Peters and Nall Road to Murphy Road. This section is temporarily closed due to serious safety concerns.

"We understand the inconvenience to people who use this road, many of the county workers are affected by this closure as well," stated Public Works Director Louis Andersen. "But what this comes down to is that this run-off has created a safety issue with the road. We won't know if there is undermining of the road surface from the rain we have received, until our engineers are able to inspect it. We also have an issue with hydroplaning as well. We have deemed it too much of a risk to the public."

Andersen had no prediction on when the road would be re-opened. He said as soon as the water recedes, he will send an engineering team to the affect roadway for a thorough inspection for any safety issues.