Texas State Highway 24 remains closed between Cooper and Commerce due to flooding. Detour routes are available for people driving between the two cities.
Law enforcement officials determine when roads will be closed, although the Paris District office of the Texas Department of Transportation determines detour signage and routes, Texas Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Tim McAlavy said.
Alternate routes when traveling from Commerce to Cooper are FM 904 to FM 1532 to FM 64 to return back to SH 24 or County Road 2890 to FM 1528 (which runs near the Cooper public school campuses).
Moving a barricade on a closed road is against the law, a Class B Misdemeanor, McAlavy said.
Cooper Lake crested on Tuesday morning and is currently at 447.24 feet, according to Cooper Lake State Park staff.
“Back in May when it flooded, it took eight days for the water to recede, and this time it is four foot higher,” Doctors Creek Unit Park Manager Mindy Hicks said. A planned "Christmas in the Park" event, featuring lights, has been canceled, she said.
Cooper Lake is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A dam at the lake's eastern end releases water into the South Sulphur River.
“We are opening the gate releasing one foot every 30 minutes with 1,600 cubic feet per second still flowing over the emergency spillway,” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Bo Potts said.
