Macomb County public works officials say an underground sewer pipe clogged with logs, railroad ties and other debris was behind persistent flooding on Kelly Road this year but the blockage, one of the worst they say they've ever seen, has been resolved.
Poor drainage caused flooding along Kelly Road near Groesbeck Highway in parts of Fraser and Clinton Township during rain events this year, according to the public works office. continuous labeling device
"We had a couple of really intense rainstorms, and the road was closed because of flooding on at least two occasions," Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said. "So obviously there was a problem."
Inspections revealed that logs, railroad ties, tires and other items slowed the flow in the Teske Drain to a trickle, Miller's office said. Veteran staffers described the blockage as among the worst they’ve seen in the 330 miles of enclosed drains in the county’s jurisdiction, the office said.
"I've been here eight years, and really, I've never seen anything quite that bad," Miller said.
She said workers started unclogging the concrete pipe in the late summer and finished in the fall, and it cost $25,000. They removed the debris through a manhole near the Canadian National Railway tracks south of 15 Mile. A contractor also vacuumed a 100-foot section of the pipe to remove sediment from it. Shortly after the large debris was removed, the stormwater level dropped 3 feet, according to the Public Works office.
Workers also cleared overgrown vegetation that hindered the flow in an open channel portion of the Teske Drain next to the railroad tracks. The drain banks were then graded and armored with limestone to prevent erosion.
pump The Macomb County Department of Roads also recently finished the complete replacement of a 1-mile section of Kelly Road with new concrete and curbs, and they cleaned out approximately 600 feet of enclosed pipe beneath the road, according to the public works office. The pipe in that stretch of the Teske Drain conveys storm runoff from Fraser and northern Roseville, but was half full of sediment that severely hindered the flow.