By ANDREA POTEET and JAMES MITCHELL
Sunday Times Newspapers
Heavy rains Nov. 27 through Tuesday soaked areas Downriver and resulted in some road closures, but city officials reported only minimal issues.
In Allen Park, a stretch of Southfield Freeway beginning at Outer Drive and running nearly to Southfield Road was closed Tuesday and Wednesday when rains flooded Ecorse Creek, resulting in five feet of water pooling into the sub ground-level roadway, according to published reports.
Michigan Department of Transportation crews finished removing mud and debris from the roadway about 11 p.m. Wednesday, when it was reopened to traffic.
In nearby Melvindale, Police Chief Rick Cadez reported no major issues.
“We had some street flooding,” Cadez said, “but nothing that would force us to close any roads.”
Melvindale Department of Public Works Director Joe Owens said the city had about 15 calls from residents with basements flooded with rainwater, a surge from average rainstorms.
“We usually only get one or two,” Owens said. “That was kind of out of the ordinary.”
Wyandotte Police Chief Daniel Grant reported no major issues, with only minor backups on side streets that did not require closings.
“We were lucky here,” Grant said. “Thankfully, it seemed like the next day when the rain stopped, it cleared up pretty quickly.”
Police in Trenton responded late Wednesday to complaints of flooding in the city’s south end. Officers were sent to a subdivision near Fort Street and Vreeland, where some streets were covered with a “high level” of water.
Responding officers assisted one resident sitting on the roof of his car after his vehicle became stuck in the water. Trenton police notified the Wayne County Road Commission, which sent crews to the scene.
Trenton Department of Public Works supervisor Steve Moceri sent crews to place barricades on the roads until the flooding subsided. Fort Street was temporarily closed before reopening Thursday morning.