Options Being Explored For Road In Manchester Wrecked By Henri

MANCHESTER, CT — Manchester officials are working on both short-and long-term solutions to getting a section of Ambassador Road open. The road was washed out last Sunday when raging waters from Tropical Storm Henri turned a normally docile runoff stream into raging rapids.

"We're working on it," Manchester Public Works Director Tim Bockus told Patch Tuesday. "The engineers have been taking a look at it and we're going to see how we can approach it."

Bockus outlined two scenarios Tuesday.

The first is assessing the condition of the existing pipes.

"Maybe we can reuse it for a temporary repair that would allow us to get the road open sooner," Bockus said. "It the pipes are usable and strong enough, then we can move fast."

Then what?

"Then we can continue to assess a more permanent solution," Bockus said. "The long-term solution will involve a lot more permitting and design."

There is also the possibility of the project qualifying for federal disaster relief, something U.S. Sent Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal have vowed to pursue. The pair toured the site with Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz the day after the storm.

Bockus said there is no timetable for permanent repairs but if the pipes are sound, a temporary fix would take place next month and may take just two weeks.

Rainwater collecting in a stream alongside the Northfield Green condominium complex hit a portion of Ambassador Drive so hard during Henri that the pavement crumbled, leaving a chasm that divided the street.

The stream under Ambassador Drive makes its way southward underneath a culvert at the Robertson Park athletic field complex and eventually to the Hocknaum River.