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Nov 11, 2008 4:30 pm US/Central
I-30 In Arlington Reopened After Flooding Closure
ARLINGTON (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
First the interstate was flooded, then shut down because of high water, and now repaired and reopened. We're talking about a busy stretch of I-30 westbound, near the Collins/Lamar exit.
Heavy rain on Monday night unexpectedly washed a portion of the highway, but by Tuesday afternoon traffic was flowing again.
Unfortunately, the only thing flowing on the interstate Monday night was rain water.
Bumper to bumper traffic crawled through the stretch of I-30. The westbound flow was reduced to just two lanes.
Tuesday, crews from the Texas Department of Transportation were busy re-laying asphalt across the interstate.
TxDOT officials say a drainage ditch was laid across several lanes on Saturday, but the rain came so hard and fast Monday that it undid all the work done. The newly laid asphalt sank about three inches, under the weight of yesterday's flash-floods.
Pools and puddles of water forced crews to close down part of I-30 -- as a precaution.
For drivers, the mess was just yet another traffic headache in what many refer to as a never ending Arlington 'cone-zone'.
"It's crazy - people don't know one day to the next which lanes are going to be closed," driver Roxanne Dibello said. "So you're risking lane changes and people throwing on their brakes trying to get around you. It's crazy. It's very dangerous."
TxDOT officials say the incident was isolated and shouldn't happen again should there be another downpour.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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