Portion of Tunnel of Trees route washed away amid heavy rains in northern Michigan

Part of a state highway in Northern Lower Michigan has washed out and is closed until further notice, the Emmet County Sheriff's Office said. 

The sheriff's office shared a photo of M-119, which travels along the Lake Michigan shoreline, with part of the road completely gone. The area between Good Hart and Cross Village is known locally as the Tunnel of Trees. 

"Please seek an alternative route," the sheriff's office said about the road damage. 

The Michigan Department of Transportation traffic map shows that both directions of M-119 between Pike Road and Division Road in that area of Emmet County were closed on Monday morning. There is also a section of M-119 between Terpening Road and Stutsmanville Road, also in Emmet County, that was closed Friday afternoon due to debris. 

Emmet County is adjacent to Cheboygan County, where river waters have risen close to the top of the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex. The region was hit by a major winter storm in mid-March, and heavy rains are now contributing to the snow melt.  

The National Weather Service in Gaylord said the region remains under a flood watch through Wednesday morning.