BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Three roads in Palm Bay that were closed after heavy rains over the weekend caused pipes to fail will remain shut down until repairs can be made, officials said.
What You Need To Know
- Work will begin soon to start repairs on three roads that had to be closed due to damage by heavy rains
- Permanent fixes will begin on Walden Avenue in the next week, while temporary repairs will be made soon on two other roads
- Highland Avenue near Flower Street in Palm Bay was washed out due to severe flooding in Brevard County
- Walden Avenue and Weldon Street also received significant damage
On Walden Avenue, a contractor is expected to be on site in the next week to start replacing damaged pipes. That contract for that project had been awarded even before last week's heavy rains, but the replacement will begin sooner than expected, city officials said.
On Weldon Street and Highland Avenue, city crews will perform temporary repairs to enable both roadways to be re-opened within a few weeks, and the city will hire a contractor to make permanent fixes.
A utility crew worked throughout the day Monday to clean up sewage that spilled in the Palm Bay area after heavy rains overwhelmed the system with water on San Filippo Drive.
On Monday, Palm Bay officials reported that an estimated 15,000 gallons of sewage spilled out and combined with stormwater from the heavy rainful on Sunday.
The city said the water is safe to drink, but residents and businesses are urged to limit use.
A majority of the water has been cleared from the roads, but officials warned everyone in the area to be careful.
Crews were forced to shut down damaged roads in parts of the city.
A creek flooded in the southwest part of town and damaged part of Highland Avenue, which remains closed to the public.
The water left a gaping hole in the road near Flower Street and in some terrain around residential homes.
Spectrum News 13 meteorologists said the area has seen between 5 and 6 inches of rain.
In the southeast part of the city, two washouts damaged roads a half-mile apart — on Walden Boulevard and Weldon Street.
City officials attributed the damage to "failed culvert pipes."
Further north in Melbourne, Wickham Road is closed from Parkway Boulevard to Leisure Way because of flooding.
One Palm Bay resident said she’s never seen so much rain and road damage in 16 years of living in the area.
“Well, they just put these girders up. But it’ll probably take months before they get to it because it doesn’t compromise anybody,” she said.
Julie Oakes and daughter Taylor were on their way home and avoided Weldon and went to Walden. But since they were both blocked, they had to drive all the way around to take another way in.
Fortunately for residents, other roads can be used to get in and out of the neighborhood, so people are not trapped in the community.
She's shocked how much rain came down all day long.
"I wasn't expecting it since it wasn't like a tropical storm, so it was usual for it to be a surprise like that," Oakes said.
Fortunately, no homes were damaged due to the flooding.
Officials have not yet given a timetable for repairs or indicated when roads that had to be closed would reopen.