Trash, including yard signs as well as more naturally-occurring debris like tree limbs, contributed to the clogged drains that shut down the Downtown Connector Sunday afternoon, a Georgia Department of Transportation spokesperson said Monday morning.
The garbage blocked the drains and the sudden heavy rain that hit the area backed up and flooded the freeway, forcing the unusual shut down.
All northbound and southbound lanes were closed near Exit 249B.
GDOT got the call concerning the problem at 1:27 p.m. and had it cleared by 2:07, said Annalysce Baker-Wilson, the GDOT spokesperson.
Crews were out again Monday cleaning the drains, Baker added.
The drains are cleaned on a weekly basis she said, calling it a unique situation.
“This was localized flooding that overwhelmed the systems,” Baker-Wilson said in a statement. “This was an extremely strong system that dumped somewhere between 2-4 (inches of rain) very quickly in a concentrated area.”
One additional complication, she said, was the strong “winds that occurred for about 10 minutes prior to the heaviest of the rainfall. There were numerous small tree limbs down in the area, so it’s not surprising that leaves and other debris (including trash and yard signs) clogged drains very quickly.”
She said signs such as real estate signs, political signs and moving signs are are illegal on state right-of-way and can block drains.
GDOT crews, “Will continue to monitor drains and litter on the shoulders before and after the storm systems we are expecting throughout the week,” she said.
About the Author
