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Improvements Designed To Eliminate Highway 29 Flooding, Closures
August 12, 2013
The Florida Department of Transportation has made drainage improvements on Highway 29 in Gonzalez designed to eliminate flooding like shut down the roadway in June.
North and south bound Highway 29 just north of East Kingsfield Road were closed June 10 for over eight hours after just a few inches of rain. The incident left state highway officials, engineers and lawmakers scrambling for answers as to how a relatively normal heavy rainfall could paralyze the major north-south hurricane evacuation route from Pensacola.
“If this were a hurricane and four inches of rain had closed the highway, it would be a major cause for concern,” Ian Satter, spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation said. He said Highway 29 and its associated drainage system are designed to handle heavy rainfall and remain open. State officials responded to the flooding across Highway 29 near Pensacola Salvage before the water receded to study the problem.
“It is essential that Highway 29 remain clear and open. This is especially important during hurricane season because of the fact that Highway 29 is part of the evacuation route from the coast,” State Rep. Clay Ingram said.
Drainage improvements were made between the west side of Highway 29 and parallel railroad tracks in order to alleviate future problems.
Pictured top and inset: Flooding closed this section of Highway 29 for eight hours back in June. Pictured below: Drainage system improvements designed to eliminate the future flooding. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
7 Responses to “Improvements Designed To Eliminate Highway 29 Flooding, Closures”
Who is the county or state official who signed the work order for this improvement.
We should thank them. Was it Clay Ingram or Steve Barry or whom?
From time to time I have wondered why there is only one way in and out of Pensacola from the north end. Evacuating for some reason would be a nightmare if they had to do it. How about a second road out of Pensacola? I have also wondered why no one has figured out that water runs downhill, bringing sand, etc., with it so you have this road flooded. Bigger storm drains and a place to empty them are needed.
This is good news. Glad they did something that was needed. Lets hope it works. I drove by the area a few days after the flood and noticed a ton of trash hung up in the bushes and grass. I wondered to myself why no one ever fixed the problem when I drove by months ago.
So they finally fixed some drainage problem towards the northend. Hwy.29 is to be a evacuation route it makes you want to laugh. We need more than one way in and out of town for people in Gonzalez, Cantonment and further north.
while I’m at it how bout bringing in some business with jobs to the Industrial Park on Hwy. 29.
TH, this happen on June 10, 2013 two months ago, not last year. I was in both rain storms and the one this year wasn’t nearly as heavy as the one last year. Can’t say for sure but I suspect lack of routine maintenance due to budget cuts play a role in the water backing up this year. Trash cans are normally a good bit larger at the top than at the bottom and aren’t good rain gauges.
June 9, 2012…we had 100 year rainfall events in several portions of Escambia County. The event was not “just a few inches”.
I don’t know where they got their information on rainfall. The little trash can I put out in the rain on purpose collected 12 or so inches of rain in that less than 24 hour period.