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Blocked drainage causes drainage problem in I-77 toll construction zone

By Paul Boyd
By Paul Boyd

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Transportation said the flooding Wednesday in the Interstate 77 toll construction zone was caused by a partially blocked drainage structure.

Officials said some water did get backed up onto the roadway but said there was a lot of rain in a short period of time.

NCDOT spokeswoman Jen Thompson said engineers have been monitoring the area and drainage situation closely in recent weeks.

Thompson said engineers have come up with a temporary solution to help keep water away from the travel lanes until construction is finished.

"What we're doing is trying to get some sandbags out there to redirect the water flow,” Thompson said, “We recognize that it needs to be addressed. We, of course, can't control the weather, but we can do everything we can to try to mitigate any impacts from the weather and that's exactly what we're trying to do.”

[Clogged drains cause dangerous flooding on major interstate]

NCDOT reminds drivers that it's also important to slow down during inclement weather.

Channel 9 also took questions of accountability to I-77 Mobility Partners, the private company responsible for design and construction of the project.

Spokeswoman Jean Leier said the company is working with its general contractor and NCDOT closely on the concerns.

Leier said some clay was mixed into the water from the construction site during the latest incident and that impacted drainage.

"We have an area that is an active construction zone right now,” Leier said "We want everybody out there on the roadway to be safe. We're always looking at ways to see if we need to make any improvements or if things are working as they should."

(VIDEO: I-77 flooding in April)

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