FDOT, public works keeping road drains clear to prevent flooding

Heavy rains flooded roads this weekend

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – After heavy rain this past weekend left standing water on roadways and brought traffic to a standstill at several intersections around Orange County, road crews are clearing drainage lines and cleaning out ditches.

An International Drive intersection was under several inches of water Sunday afternoon.

An Orange County spokesperson said five intersections in the county were flooded due to the heavy rain.

Maintenance crews found clogged drainage systems at all five intersections.

The Beachline/I-4 on-ramp was also flooded this weekend, although Florida Department of Transportation officials said that area is not part of the I-4 Ultimate Construction project.

But several areas under construction -- the Fairbanks, Princeton, and Michigan Street exits -- have flooded so badly over the past several months during heavy rain that lanes were closed and traffic was backed up for miles.

FDOT blamed a failed underground drainage pipe for one of the floods.

Since then, FDOT said the contractor has put crews on standby to monitor the roadways during heavy rain.

FDOT even withheld payments after one flood.

FDOT spokesman Steve Olson said the contractor also added pumps along the highway.

"The Florida Department of Transportation is in contact with the contractor to proactively check areas that have been prone to flooding in the past, with a high focus on the area north of Downtown Orlando (Ivanhoe Boulevard to Par Street), as safety is paramount," Olson said. "Inspections and drainage inlet cleaning are ongoing. The contractor also has pumps pre-positioned on the corridor."
 


About the Author:

Erik von Ancken anchors and reports for News 6 and is a two-time Emmy award-winning journalist in the prestigious and coveted "On-Camera Talent" categories for both anchoring and reporting.

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