SIDNEY -- The Cheyenne County Commissioners Monday approved a resolution that gives the sheriff and highway superintendent authority to temporarily close a county road.

The commissioners talked in a recent meeting about how to close a road when conditions merit keeping the traveling public off of that road. The discussion came up in response to recent snow storms that brought traffic to a standstill and made county roads hazardous. 

The problem intensified when travelers were directed by misinformation, sometimes a mapping program, to take a county road as an alternate to a closed highway. Sheriff Adam Frerichs has reported drivers driving around road closed structures and later getting stuck in treacherous conditions. 

Since those storms, the commissioners have asked who has the authority to close a county road and under what circumstances. 

County Attorney Paul Schaub researched the issue and returned with a resolution giving the authority for temporary closure of roads to the sheriff and highway superintendent. The resolution also defines when the road can be closed. The resolution will remain in place until a board of commissioners dissolves or amends it.