MDOT to Flood-Weary Commuters: Get Used to It

The Michigan Department of Transportation says $1 billion in repairs under proposed road funding bill could fix some of the problems that led to massive freeway flooding on Aug. 11 and minor flooding on two other occasions this month. (Patch file photo)

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About that freak flood that swamped highway drains and submerged thousands of cars during a massive Aug. 11 rainstorm: It may not have been so freaky.

Michigan Department of Transportation spokeswoman Diane Cross told The Detroit News that a combination of factors, from aging infrastructure to debris plugging drains, are responsible for three freeway flooding events this month alone.

The Aug. 11 flooding, occurring more than 4 inches of rain and isolated totals as high as 6 inches in just a few hours, was by far the most extensive, but on Tuesday some freeways flooded after an inch of rain.

The short explanation about freeway flooding: Get used to it.

“We’re always putting Band-Aids on what needs surgery,” MDOT spokeswoman Diane Cross said. “We are piecemeal keeping our roads together. This is an example of what happens with that.”

More than half – 58 percent – of freeway pump houses are in poor condition and were unable to keep up with the deluge, MDOT said.

“We just need to realize that the freeways themselves are old and they aren’t designed to today’s standards, which include more storm drains, bigger storm drains, sloping sides that don’t allow soil and erosion into the roadway and drains,” Cross said.

MDOT knows the deficits of the system, but lacks funding for repairs. Legislation generating $1 billion in road repair funds through tax hikes is stalled at the statehouse.

“This is what we mean when we talk about the need for funding,” she said. “Could we keep those catch basins clean every day? We could if we had enough money for that.”