News

Actions

Crews work to prevent repeat of flooding in Chesapeake

Posted at 1:26 PM, Jun 13, 2013
and last updated 2013-06-13 16:45:09-04

Crews with the City of Chesapeake are trying to make sure there’s not a repeat of Monday’s flooding at the Triple Decker Overpass.

They worked much of Thursday installing temporary drainage pumps underneath Bainbridge Boulevard to control flooding.

On Monday, the drainage pumps broke, flooding Bainbridge Boulevard under five feet of water.

“The water just builds up. It can’t go anywhere. It’s the lowest point because of topography. It’s where the water is going to stay,” says city engineer Mike Boron.

Chesapeake officials decided to block the road in both directions after Monday’s storm.

It took crews 12 hours of pumping to drain all the water.

But for the severe weather expected Thursday night, the city is confident.

“All we can do is make the best judgement we can as far as the capacity of what we anticipate, and we are dealing with that. We’re installing pumps that will handle that situation,” says Boron.

The right-hand northbound lane is still blocked while crews are repairing. The bridge engineer says after the temporary pumps, they will install new ones that should last 15 to 20 years.