A portion of State Road 8 in LaPorte County that was closed earlier this year because of damage sustained in the flooding, will likely remain closed for quite a while.

The road was damaged by the flooding in February, but more importantly, officials say there was a lot of damage under the road that can’t be seen.

INDOT tells WSBT the underside of the shoulder underneath part of State Road 8 has eroded several feet below the surface. Crews are still assessing the damage in order to determine how much work needs to be done to make the road safe.

INDOT expects to begin repairs in the coming weeks, but they say the road could remain closed through the summer…or even longer, depending on what they find.

In the meantime, officials are asking people driving around the barriers to access the road to stop, as the road is too dangerous to be driven on.